Never Really Alone
by onceuponastories
Summary: It has been six weeks of peace in Storybrooke, but nothing could ever stay that simple. Things are about to go wonderfully, and terribly all at once. Picks up where 4A left off. Outlaw Queen is the main couple but everyone is here! I own nothing. All credit goes out to the wonderful creators of Once, and the actors who bring them to life.
1. Chapter 1-Six Weeks

Chapter 1 – Six Weeks

It had been six weeks. Six weeks since he left the woman he loved in order to take care of his son. He was a parent, they had both understood that. They agreed that their children had to come first, but why this? Why had he had to do this? He looked across the little room that he had procured with the money she had given him, to where his wife and son lay sleeping. It wasn't much, but it was the best that he could give them right now. He would have to get a job soon if they were going to keep a roof over their heads in this modern world.

"Papa?" Roland's still small voice caused Robin to turn, "Papa when can we go home?" Robin didn't know what to tell him. How do you tell your six year old son that you no longer had a home? That you had to leave everyone he's ever known behind and venture out into this new world alone? Well, not really alone. They had each other, and Marian, but she had missed so much of Roland's life Robin wasn't even sure that Roland understood what her being his mother even meant. "Papa?" Roland had gotten out of bed and padded over to Robin.

"I don't know son." It was the most honest answer he could give. He wanted to tell him that they would go back soon. That everything would go back to normal, but really, what was normal for them? Can you even pretend at normal when your wife has been dead for 30 years and then all of a sudden she's back and the woman you are in love with turns out to be the reason she was dead in the first place? Robin sat down hard on the edge of the couch, and Roland crawled up in his lap.  
"Papa, I miss Regina." Robin looked down into Roland's big dark eyes and tried to smile, but the boy was breaking his heart. "I miss her too lad."

"Hmpfh." Robin looked up to see Marian climbing out of bed. "Regina is not here Roland and for what I can see of the near future, she won't be anytime soon," Robin could tell Marian still didn't like the idea that Roland seemed to prefer Regina over herself. Marian turned and left the small living/bedroom and headed for the adjoining bathroom.

"Papa, why is Mama mad at Regina?" Roland was too young to understand the complexity of their situation. "Is it because when Mama wasn't here you and Regina got to be friends?" The young lad looked confused, he had always thought friends were a good thing.

"It's a long story son. There is much more to it than you need to worry about." Robin ruffled Roland's hair as he got up. "Maybe one day I'll tell you about it, but for right now why don't we go and get some bagels for breakfast?"

"I love bagels!" The boy looked so excited he seemed to have momentarily forgotten about the woman that was closer to a mother than Marian ever had been. Robin smiled as he grabbed his wallet and left Marian a note saying they were going. He knew she would be angry that they had gone without her, but right now a little more anger wouldn't make that much of a difference. He didn't really care, he could handle her anger, after dealing with anger that produced fireballs if you weren't careful, Marian's words were nothing for him. Roland didn't need to see that though, if anything they were out in this modern world for him, and Robin was determined that he was going to give the lad his best chance out here. That meant that he wasn't going to see his parents fighting, especially about something that it seemed they had no control over.

"Okay son," Robin bent and scooped Roland up off the ground as they entered the little bakery down the street, "what would you like?"

"Ooh look Papa, apple turnovers!" Robin's eyes went misty as he looked at his son. That blasted woman was everywhere! "Papa, look! Just like Regina makes!"

The boy looked so happy that Robin couldn't deny him the little treat, he ordered three of the apple turnovers, plus two cups of coffee and one chocolate milk. As they made their way back up the street with their spoils Robin couldn't help but smile. Roland was happy, and as much as Marian was hurting, and as fast as his heart was breaking, he thought that maybe, just maybe, they could make it work.

Robin's good mood was ruined as they reentered their little room. Marian was sitting at the table reading the paper, and when she met Robin's gaze she looked ready to breathe fire. "Where did you go?" She stood and moved gracefully across the room to the boy. She took off his hat and boots before she turned back on Robin. "I come out of the bathroom and the two of you are gone. Last time you took Roland and left," her voiced dropped to a whisper so Roland, who was eating his turnover at the table wouldn't hear, "last time you left me alone, she took me and had me killed. Robin, I panicked!" There was a note of hysteria in Marian's voice.

"Marian relax, nothing here is going to hurt you. We went and got breakfast. No big deal. Here I brought you coffee." He reached down and handed her the smaller of the two glasses. They ate the rest of the meal in silence. They had decided that he would go on the hunt for a job soon, and with their outlook completely blank Robin decided there was no time like the present. After breakfast he left Marian and Roland at the motel and went out to look for a job.

Later that night Robin returned looking downtrodden and exhausted. It turned out that it was rather difficult to get a job in the modern world when you had been a thief for the majority of your adult life, and when the only people you could list as references may as well not even exist.

This modern world was not as easy as Regina had made it sound, and it was nothing like Storybrooke had been. After Marian and Roland had finally fallen asleep Robin took out the map that she had given him before they parted. It was a map of the entire Northeast portion of this strange land. While they were still back in town Storybrooke had shown up in the middle of the red circle that was drawn on the map. Now the circle stood empty, only forest and a highway. No sign that the town had ever even existed.

Emma had warned him that it would happen, that things would disappear. There was even a chance that they could have lost their memories. Thank goodness that that hadn't happened. He didn't want to imagine losing her completely. He couldn't. Robin looked over at his wife sleeping in the bed beside his son, and he got out a blank sheet of paper from the stash he kept in his bag. It had been six weeks, forty-two days, and in his bag were the forty-two letters that went with them. Some of them were long, every detail of the day, others were short, 'I miss you' written amongst a few teardrops. He didn't know if she would ever get the chance to read them, and to be honest he didn't care. At this point they were as much for his sake as they were for hers.

He loved her, he knew he shouldn't. He knew that his family was here and that they needed him, but it was times like these, when they were asleep, that he missed her the most. It was times like these that he felt alone. He half hoped that somewhere out there she felt as alone as he did, and so he wrote the letters. Knowing that because of them neither one of them was ever really alone. Forty-two letters so far, forty-two identical starts,

M'lady,

Followed by whatever he felt to write that day. Forty-two starts and forty-two letters that ended the exact same way.

"I still choose you."

Forever Your Thief,  
Robin of Locksley

He signed the letter and folded it neatly with the others. With a heavy heart he got ready for bed. Looking out the window as his eyes drifted closed, he smiled and breathed, "Goodnight m'lady."

Regina woke with a start. It had been six weeks since they had gone, six weeks since she had let him leave her here alone. Well, not really alone, she admitted to herself as she climbed out of bed and wrapped her robe around her body. She stood there and looked out the window. She wasn't really alone. She still had Henry here, and the Charming's, they were her family after all, but they weren't the family that she wanted. They weren't Robin. That did it, all she had to do was think his name and her stomach turned, she ran for the bathroom, making it just in time, just before she got sick. Regina was still kneeling on the floor when she heard her bedroom door open.

"Mom?" Henry called out as he opened the door. "Mom, are you alright?" He came in and saw her getting up off the tile. "That's the third time this week you've thrown up before breakfast."

"I'm fine Henry. It's just a bug, nothing to worry about." She gave him an imitation of a smile, "Go get dressed for school. I'll go down and make breakfast." She walked past him, ignoring the knowing look he was giving her as she headed for the hall. "Henry! Go get dressed, you don't want to be late." She called back at him as she headed down the stairs.

She knew what he was thinking, heck, she was starting to wonder too. She had been sick an awful lot lately and she was exhausted. She hadn't been sleeping right ever since Rob- no she wasn't even going to think his name anymore, ever since he crossed the line. She had had to let him go, it was best for him, and for Roland. Regina knew when it came down to it, they would always put their children first, it was only right. They were parents, and that meant that they took a backseat to their children. Still, that didn't mean that it was easy to let them walk out of her life, that it hadn't hurt her more than she let anyone know. She swallowed back her tears, crying wouldn't change anything.

"Mom, is breakfast ready?" Henry had made his way down stairs while Regina was caught up in her own musings.

"Sorry Henry, I got," she paused and turned around, "distracted, how about cereal today?" Regina looked sheepishly over the counter at her teenage son.

"It's fine Mom. Cereal's perfect." He smiled as he moved around her to retrieve a bowl. "Mom? You know things might just be easier if you took the time to find out."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." He gave her a look that showed he was far wiser on the subject than most boys his age. "If you knew the answer you might find it easier to sleep, and if you're sleeping better I might get something better than cereal for breakfast." He waved his spoon playfully at his mother as she laughed and moved to dump her coffee down the drain.

"Henry, you need to stop worrying about me and focus on your own problems. Like getting to school on time." She swept up his lunch box and his book bag and gently pushed him towards the door. "I'll see you after school," she called from the porch before she made her way back inside and up to her bedroom.

Maybe Henry was right. Maybe she did need to know for sure. She grabbed her cell off of her nightstand and called Mary Margaret to tell her that she was going to be late. Ever since she had agreed to share mayoral duties with her stepdaughter, she had felt the need to check in when normal plans changed. She talked to Mary Margaret as she picked out clothes for work and they said goodbye as Regina was getting ready to take a shower.

As she climbed out of the shower a brief while later Regina caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She turned to the side and let the towel slip away from her abdomen. Could it be that she was…? She didn't even want to finish her thoughts, but as she stood there and looked at her self in the mirror, she realized that some of the things she had been writing off as a lack of sleep really could be something more.

As she got dressed she continued to think about all the little signs she had subconsciously noticed, but written off as impossible. The all around aches and pains, the tiredness, the slight swelling, the tenderness, the annoyingly fast growing want of dark chocolate that seemed to hit her at random times throughout her day. Yeah, it was decided, she was going to the drug store now, before she chickened out again.

When she got to the pharmacy she had to talk her self into going in. No one was going to notice, she told herself. Not if she bought some other stuff too. And even if they did, no one in this town was dumb enough to betray her secret right? She may not really be evil anymore, but Regina was still not someone that many of the townspeople would cross. After all, she was still the queen.

Regina mumbled to herself all through the store. Luckily there were enough people to keep the dwarf busy, but not enough that anyone would notice what was in the queen's basket. She added a few things Henry needed and a little toy for baby Neal to her basket and headed for the counter. If Sneezy noticed what she had purchased he hadn't acknowledged it, and for that she was grateful. With a bowed head and slightly pink cheeks, the once great and terrible queen, quietly left the store. Clutching the bag that had the power to change her life forever.

Mary Margaret looked up from the desk they now shared as Regina entered the office. "Regina, what's the matter?", she could tell from the queen's red rimmed eyes that she had been crying. "Are you all right, is Henry okay? Regina, what's wrong?" Mary Margaret was starting to panic, because Regina still hadn't looked at her. "Regina!"

Regina looked up startled, "Snow! No, Henry's fine, there's nothing to worry about."

"Then why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying!" Regina swept a hand up to her cheek and sure enough it came away wet with tears. "Well, I didn't know I was crying. I'm just…oh I don't know how to do this!" Regina's composure from all morning was starting to crack. She sat down in the chair opposite Snow and tried to regain some of her façade. When she looked up Snow was smiling.

"What's going on Regina? You never loose it like this, much less in public, in your office even. Something is up?" She reached into the bag that Regina had tossed on the desk. "Today has been a good day so far, it's been quite around town, no evil lurking about, Rumple is gone. That leaves the most powerful woman in town sitting across from me in tears, what's going…" She had pulled the last of the items from the bottom of the bag, "Are these for you?" Snow looked as confused as Regina felt.

"Yeah," the sound was so faint Snow almost missed it, "I'm scared Snow…what if…?"

"What if what Regina? What do you want the answer to be?"

Regina looked up and met Snow's eyes across the table, "I think we both know what I want it to say. The problem is I don't think I can face it if I'm wrong."

"If there's any chance you're right you have to know Regina. You have to do everything you can."

"I know," the queen got up and took the box from her stepdaughter. "I just couldn't be alone when I found out." With a sad smile Regina headed for the bathroom door off the office. She came back out box in hand, "Three minutes. We will know in three minutes." She sat back down across from Snow. "What am I going to do Snow?"

"Well, I guess that all depends on what it says. But I think we both know what you're going to do. The same thing you've always done. You're best." She smiled across the desk at the woman who once saved her life. The woman that tried to kill her, and yet saved her so many times. The woman who all these years later she truly could call her friend.

Snow was still smiling when the timer on Regina's phone went off. The queen looked across the desk at her and then slowly looked down at the box in her lap.

Regina looked back up at Snow, and then back down at her lap, she couldn't believe it, she almost didn't want to believe it. It couldn't be right, it was almost unreal. When she looked back up at Snow her eyes were full of tears, but as she saw Snow start to say something, she smiled, "I'm pregnant…"


	2. Chapter 2-Hope

Chapter 2 - Hope

"Three weeks had passed since Regina had found out about the baby. She was ten weeks along now and yet only she and the Charming's knew. This was her secret, something that she wasn't ready for the whole town to weigh in on yet. And weigh in they would. Everyone would know that it was Robin's that much was certain, the once Evil Queen had conceived a child with the Prince of Thieves. A child most royal, but there was one special someone that Regina had to tell before anyone else found out.

"Morning Mom." Henry had come up behind her in the kitchen as she was getting breakfast ready. "You must be sleeping better," he joked as she piled pancakes in front of him. "I'm never going back to cereal now." Regina smiled as she slid onto the stool next to Henry's.

""Henry, we need to talk." Regina's voiced had turned serious, causing Henry to look up from the Sunday comics.

""What's the matter Mom?" Henry grew instantly worried, needing to talk never ended well in this family.

"Nothing is the matter, it's just time that I told you something." Regina smiled as a knowing look came across her sons face. "Henry, I'm pregnant. You're going to be a big brother." Henry threw his arms around Regina, his hug was so tight that she was gasping for air when he let go.

""Mom that's awesome! I knew it! I told you weeks ago that you should find out…Mom," Henry paused not really sure how his mom would take the next question, but something was compelling him to ask, "does he know?"

"All the air that Regina had just been trying to suck in was knocked out of her again. "No, he doesn't, I didn't find out until they were long gone, and now, well now I don't think I could tell him if I tried. There is no way to contact him outside of Storybrooke. It's okay though, I've done this all on my own before." She smiled and ran her fingers through his messy hair.

""He still needs to know Mom. Maybe Belle can help find a way to get him a message, or Snow, maybe a bird could get there."

"Henry, slow down, we have six and a half months left to figure it out. We don't have to solve all of the problems in one day." Regina smiled, knowing all too well what was coming next.

""All right," Henry conceded, turning back to his Sunday morning pancakes, "All right, but this Operation needs a name." He sat in silence for a moment as he ate and thought it over. "How about Operation Bug?"

"Bug? Isn't bug a little too general?" Regina gave Henry a look that clearly showed what she thought of the new code name.

"Yeah Bug, it's weird to call it the baby, when I can't see it and I don't know if it's a boy or a girl, so for right now I'm gonna call it the Bug. Operation Bug, anything that has to do with the baby, including trying to tell Robin, is in Operation Bug." Henry leaned down and spoke directly to Regina's stomach, "Don't worry Bug, you've got one of the best moms in the world, and I promise, we are gonna find your dad."

"When Henry sat back up he noticed that his mother was trying her best not to cry. Regina couldn't help it. Her hormones were in over drive, and she missed Robin like crazy. She wanted nothing more than to tell him about their baby. About the wonderful thing that they had created together. She knew that he would be pleased, that he would love the child with everything he had. As Henry finished breakfast and put his plate in the sink Regina reached down and placed a hand on her still flat stomach. "One day soon you won't be a secret anymore. Soon everyone will know just how much I love your daddy, and how much I love you."

"We will think of something Mom," Henry said as he left the kitchen, "we always do." He grinned as she watched him head off towards her study. She knew he was already trying to figure out how they could contact Robin.

"Regina felt terrible, all of a sudden she knew why finding Robin meant so much to Henry. She had been a good mom, and he loved her, but Henry had grown up missing something, a father, and she just knew that was why he was trying so hard. He didn't want the baby to grow up the same way he did. Before she could help herself Regina started to cry. Tears were streaming down her face when moments later she heard the doorbell ring.

"She answered the door to a startled looking Snow, carrying a screaming Neal. Neal lunged for Regina as Snow silently asked about the tears. "It's okay, I told him." Regina smiled through her tears as she took the squirming baby from Snow.

"Oh good," Snow let out a breath of relief, Regina knew all too well how poor her step daughter was at keeping secrets, "that makes all of this so much easier." Regina laughed at how dramatic Snow was being as she ushered all of the Charming's into the house.

"Told who what?" Emma looked puzzled as she glanced back and forth between her mother and Regina. Regina had just opened her mouth to answer when Henry came around the corner out of his mother's study.

""That I'm going to be a big brother!" Regina was glad that Henry was smiling now, unlike the all too serious look he had had right after he found out. "Mom's having Robin's baby."

Regina grabbed Henry from behind and hugged him. "I think she could have figured that part out for herself dear." Her admonishment fell on deaf ears as Henry was too busy trying to take in Emma's shocked face.

"But, but, how?" Regina could tell that Emma was more than a little confused, after all she had been dealing with her own problems before Robin and Roland had left town with Marian. She didn't realize that things had progressed between the two of them while Marian was frozen.

"I realize you didn't have a typical upbringing Miss Swan, but seeing as you are a mother yourself, I'm pretty sure that you know exactly how the process works."

"I know how you got pregnant Regina, I guess what I should have asked was when?"

"Ten weeks ago."

"Oh, does he know?"

"Not yet," Regina turned as Henry spoke up from just behind her, "I'm working on that though. There are some pretty powerful spells in these books, and I know that there are even more in Mom's vault, it's just a matter of finding the right one. I think we may have to look in your mother's things too." He was speaking directly to Regina now. "I think she may have had more powerful magic than she ever showed you.

"But Henry, if it's more powerful than anything I've ever seen, how do we know that I'll be powerful enough to cast it?"

"See that's the thing look at this." They all four followed Henry into Regina's study.

"What are we looking at Henry?" Charming wasn't big on magic and there was no way that he was going to follow what the magic books said.

"Henry looked up and smiled, "Prophecies, Gramps! And a lot of them!" He flipped the book open to the page he had marked before coming out into the hall before. "Look what this one says." He pointed to one of the later entries in the book. "Read it Mom."

Regina handed Neal back to Snow and took the book from Henry, she began to read the prophecy that he had pointed out,

"Conceived in the Greatest Darkness, Born of the Purest Light,  
Royal blood mixed with a Prince of the night.  
Daughter of Resilience, Sister of Belief,  
the most precious Treasure, of a Noble Thief.  
The greatest power ever known, will stem from the child worthy of Her throne."

Regina looked around the room as she finished reading, in all four faces she saw the same thing that she knew reflected in her own, they had Hope. "We have to talk to Belle."

Robin hated this world. He knew that he hadn't much choice in the matter, but still it made him feel better to think it. He knew that if he was going to keep providing for Roland and for Marian then he had to keep at it. It wasn't like the job was difficult, in fact he seemed to have a natural gift for it. People that weren't even looking to buy a new weapon, usually ended up leaving the store with something that Robin had convinced them that they needed.

It made him feel awful. Selling people things that they didn't really want, or saw no practical use for, simply because his boss told him too. The only reason he kept at it was because he convinced himself that the customers that came into the store were going to be spending their money anyway, and he was doing this to earn money. This was the modern version of robbing the rich to feed the poor. Only in this case, Robin himself was the poor.

Another day came to a close and Robin headed home from the store. He knew that things had gone well that day, that the boss was impressed with him, but there was something bothering him. He wasn't sure what it was, but for the past couple of weeks some thing had been eating at him. Like there was something he was supposed to know, but didn't, or something that he once knew and forgot. Oh well, every night as he entered the little house he had rented for them, Robin pushed the strange feeling out of his mind, plastered a smile on his face and pushed the door open.

"Papa!" As always, Roland was glad to see him. Robin hated to admit it, but he didn't think the lad was comfortable around Marian. Marian loved Roland, Robin knew that, and he knew that Roland could tell, but she was a stranger to him. Someone that he called Mama, but he didn't fully understand what that meant. Robin smiled sadly at the boy. "Papa you're back!"

"I always come back don't I son?" Robin asked him, ruffling his hair as he walked past. "Where's you're mother?"

"She's in her room. She spilled something sticky on her shirt!" Roland giggled at the thought of Marian making a mess. Robin knew that the minor mishap would dampen Marian's mood all evening. She wasn't a fan of messes.

The evening passed quietly, if slowly, and as it neared Roland's bedtime, he left where he was playing on the floor and climbed up in Robin's lap. "Papa, will you tell me a story? A real one, about you and one of your adventures?" Roland's eyes were big and pleading as he begged for a story. Robin looked across the room at Marian who nodded her approval.

With the boy sitting starry eyed on his lap, Robin began to tell Roland about a time when he and Little John had gotten captured while they were hunting and how they had to escape from the castle. He was just reaching the most daring part of his story when Roland interrupted him. "Papa, I wanna hear a different story. I wanna hear about you and Regina sneaking into the castle. That one is my favorite!"

Robin looked up across the room at Marian. She had stopped working on her sewing and was sitting perfectly still waiting to see what he would say. Screw it, he thought. If that's what he wants to hear, that's what I'll tell.

"Okay m'boy, where do you want me to start?" He looked down at the lad, knowing exactly what Roland would say. The beginning was he favorite, because he was in it.

"Start with the monkey Papa!" Robin chuckled, it never failed.

"Okay, so we were all traveling together down the road toward the Queen's Castle when all of a sudden this winged monkey came flying down out of nowhere headed straight for the Queen. To bad you were in the way, and the monkey almost got you instead."

"But Regina saved me!"

"Aye, that she did, and she turned the rotten monkey into a toy for you."

"Wait what?" Marian seemed to be about two beats behind in the story, "What do you mean a flying monkey almost got you? Were you hurt?"

"No Mama, weren't you listening? Regina saved me." Roland looked so happy Robin was glad that he looked away before he saw Marian's dirty look. Marian hadn't heard this story before. He purposefully hadn't told her anything about the time that Roland and Regina had spent together in the Enchanted Forest, it would just have made things harder on her. "What's next Papa?" Roland grinned cheekily, knowing exactly how this story goes.

"Well, you see, the Queen and Snow White came up with a plan to take the castle back by force. We all went marching up to the castle only to find it surrounded by an invisible shield. The Queen decided that she would go in and take it down from the inside. Little did she know that I followed her into the woods. I didn't want her to have to face whatever was in there alone. Well she was not very happy about me being there but I went anyway. We made it to the castle, through all of her traps and magic protection. And then we found the door wide open, the blood magic had failed!"

Robin paused and let the words sink in for Marian who had never heard the story before. He looked up to see her looking confused, but just as absorbed in the story as Roland. He finished telling them about the Wicked Witch and everything that happened up until the point that they all met to go searching for Rumplestiltskin. When he finished he looked down and saw that Roland had fallen asleep in his lap. The lad had always loved tales of adventure, and now he always wanted to hear the ones with Regina in them.

As he carried Roland to bed, and started getting ready for bed himself he let his mind wander to his long, lost queen. That feeling of unease sprang back to the front of his mind as he thought about her. Something had changed. Robin wasn't sure what it was, but it seemed almost as if something was compelling him to write to her tonight. In his letter he told her of the feeling, the unease that had settled upon him. Sixty-four letters and this was the first one that felt different. Sixty-four times he had closed his letter with "I choose you." And yet this time it meant something more.

Neither one of them knew it, but they could both feel something shifting. There was Hope in Storybrooke again, and somehow Robin could feel it. Whatever was keeping them apart was starting to weaken.


	3. Chapter 3-The Prophecy

Chapter 3 – The Prophecy

Regina looked around the room as she finished reading, in all four faces she saw the same thing that she knew reflected in her own, they had Hope. "We have to talk to Belle." Emma nodded and with a flip of her hands Regina whisked the four Charming's, herself and Henry to the street outside Gold's shop. Regina turned and with a fleeting backwards glance at her family she rushed inside. "Belle!" She called out as she entered the shop.

Belle entered the main shop from the room behind, at the same time that the Henry and the Charming's entered it from the front. "Oh," Belle seemed startled by the sight of them all together again, "what's going on? Has something happened?"

"No Belle, everything, well everything with the town, is fine." Henry pushed around both his mothers until he was standing at the front of the little group. "Mom on the other hand, needs your help."

"Umm," Belle looked up, clearly trying to decide whether to address Emma or Regina. She met Regina's eyes and Regina knew that she could read them like a book. "Regina what's the matter?" Belle made her decision, clearly choosing the queen's look of pain to be more important than Emma's determined scowl.

Regina started to answer but Henry got there first, "We need to know what this means, and if it can help us." He handed her the book that Regina had brought with them and pointed to the prophecy. Belle looked at it once in the book, read it to herself and then read it out loud,

_"Conceived in the Greatest Darkness, Born of the Purest Light,_

_Royal blood mixed with a Prince of the night. _

_Daughter of Resilience, Sister of Belief, _

_the most precious Treasure, of a Noble Thief. _

_The greatest power ever known, will stem from the child worthy of Her throne._

Well, it's obviously about a baby, but what can that help you with, I thought you said everything was fine?"

"I said the town was fine, Mom needs your help." Regina could hear the smile in Henry's voice, but she was focusing on Belle. When the young woman looked up at her Regina smiled, and laid a hand on her stomach.

"I need to know if the prophecy is truly about the baby, and if so, maybe there is some way that she can help us get her father back." Regina watched as all of this sunk in for Belle. She knew that it was going to be a lot to handle at once. Especially since the possibility of getting Robin back, meant that Gold may come back as well.

Belle looked over at the Charming's, and back at Regina and Henry. Hope seemed to radiate out of them. As she stood there thinking about what to do, Belle read the prophecy again. "The greatest power ever known…that makes it sound like, well like the baby will be even more powerful than Rumple."

Regina locked eyes with Belle and made her a promise, "If you help us, and if this prophecy really is about my baby, then we," she touched her stomach and gestured to those behind her, "we will promise that we will help you with Rumple, if he should return to Storybrooke." Regina saw the tears well up in the bookworm's eyes, but Belle simply nodded and turned back to the book.

"What makes you think this is about your baby?" Belle looked up at Regina and over at Henry. "Let's start at the beginning, these are always up for interpretation after all." Henry walked over to the counter and pulled out stools from behind it. Regina, Emma and Snow all sat down around the book.

"Okay, the first line is Conceived in the Greatest Darkness." Snow looked at Regina as she said it, "Regina I don't really think you're the Greatest Darkness. If I had to name someone as that, I'd probably say it was Rumple." They all turned to look at Belle.

"Oh no! I'm not pregnant!"

"I think you're thinking too literally Mom." Emma had spoken up as she looked across the counter at Regina and Belle. "You were depressed. He had broken your heart out of duty and honor, but you still loved him, and he loved you. There is no Greater Darkness, than the loss of someone you love, who is so close, and yet so very far away. You weren't literally the Greatest Darkness, but I'd bet money you felt like you were slipping into it again." Emma reached over and touched Regina's arm as she spoke.

With tears in her eyes Regina looked up at Emma, "I'm sorry. I forgot that you had felt that way too." They both looked over at Henry, "I'm so sorry Emma."

"It's okay. It all worked out eventually. After many attempts at sabotage, blackmail, and should I go as far as murder?" Both women laughed. Henry looked confused, but wrote it off, it wasn't important.

"Okay so Mom was sad, so what? You were happy again when Marian was frozen weren't you?"

"Henry, it's not that simple. I was happy yes, but I had already slipped. I was on a downward spiral and Robin leaving again only made that worse. I told him to go, forced him to leave this last time, but I think it may have broken my heart a little. I wasn't ever truly happy again."

"Oh…" Regina realized that she may have just shared too much, Henry wasn't at fault here, she shouldn't be depressing him too.

"Alright!" Regina had never been more grateful for David's ability to change an entire conversation with one word. "So the baby was conceived in great darkness, check. What's next?"

"Born of the Purest Light. No offense Regina, but Purest Light seems more like Emma than you." Belle looked as though she wanted to ask Emma some serious questions about her relationship with Killian, but luckily David chimed in again.

"No the Purest Light is Regina! Snow, remember what Glinda told us about only the strongest light magic being able to defeat Zelena's curse? It wasn't Emma who broke the curse, it wasn't even Emma that stopped her in the end. It was Regina the whole time!" He was beaming as he looked over at her. Regina felt herself blushing. "When you chose to be good you defeated your sister. If you choose happiness now, I think you could be the Purest Light again."

Regina smiled. For the first time in her whole life, she truly felt like she had a family. They were all here now, telling her just how perfectly this would all work out, and how good she really was. "Okay, if I'm happy I'm the Purest Light. Got it. Two lines down, what's next?"

Henry read out of the book, "Royal blood mixed with a Prince of the night. Well Mom, you were born a princess, and then you became queen, so you have Royal blood. But then mixed with the Prince of the night? What's that mean?"

"The legend of Robin Hood!" Belle ran off to grab another book and bring it back to the counter. "Of course, I don't know why I didn't see this before."

"Belle," Emma caught her attention, "I know what you're talking about but I think you may need to explain." She gestured towards the confused looks of her parents and Regina.

"No I remember!" Henry suddenly looked extremely excited. "In all of the stories and movies in the rest of this world, Robin's nickname is the Prince of Thieves! It fits!"

"Okay so as Queen it makes it so much better that I fell for the Prince of Thieves instead of just a regular thief." Regina rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. So far everything was making sense. "What's next?"

"Daughter of Resilience, Sister of Belief." Snow smiled as she read it, "That one is simple." They all stared at her, so she went on. "Daughter of Resilience, well Regina has the most Resilient Heart, and Sister of Belief, Henry has the Heart of the Truest Believer. All that tells us is that Regina is having a girl."

"Okay cool. See Mom, I knew we would figure this out." He nudged Regina with his shoulder as they moved to the next line. "The most precious Treasure of a Noble Thief. Well that's just as simple. That just tells us that she is Robin's baby too, and that he is going to love her."

The tears that Regina had been trying to keep in were flowing freely now. She squeezed Henry's hand and leaned into David as he put his arm around her. They were almost done, she could do this.

"Okay last line." Emma turned the book so she could read it carefully, "The greatest power ever known, will stem from the child worthy of Her throne. Okay what's that mean?"

"Well Regina is the Queen still, and so it is her throne, but then it could be that the baby has to be worthy of a throne in order to gain her powers…" Snow looked puzzled as she tried to reason it all out in her head.

Belle touched Regina's shoulder, "I think you are Her."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you see David said it earlier, when you are good, you're the most powerful person there is. You defeated Zelena, you even had power over Rumple, and yet you continued to choose the side of good. You gave me the dagger, even when you could have kept it yourself. You are the Purest Light, she is going to have to live up to that, but I think she already has her powers. Focus Regina, try and connect with her. I think she may strengthen you enough right now to show you what we need to do to get Robin back."

Regina looked hard at Belle once she finished speaking. She closed her eyes and focused on the baby. "Alright little bug," she thought as she let everything else slip away, "alright, everyone thinks you are the answer. That somehow you can help us all to find a way to get your daddy back." As she sat there with her eyes closed Regina could feel a sort of pressure building up from her abdomen. It was filling her entire body with a sense of warmth and comfort. She could tell that it was the baby, that tiny little bug in her belly was causing something big. She really was powerful, but right now it was Regina that was going to be focusing that power.

Her eyes flew open as the magic left her body. The brightest white light seemed to emit from her every pore as she lifted into the air, arms outstretched, as the magic flooded out of her. David caught her as she floated back down, and laid her gently on the floor. They all knelt around her as she came too. A sense of pure happiness washed over her. She didn't know if it was her own emotions or the baby's but in that moment she didn't care. She sat up laughing and smiling.

It took Regina a few minutes to calm down enough to talk them through what had happened. Just as she reached the end, the door to the shop flew open and Leroy ran in, out of breath and panting, he smiled. "It's gone your majesty. Whatever the barrier on the town line was, is gone!"

-o-o-

Robin was sitting at the kitchen table when he heard a tapping at the window above his desk. Sprawled on the desk was the open map of Maine that Regina had given him. Out of habit he glanced down at it as he passed to the window. Something about it made him look back. He couldn't believe it. There in the forest, in the middle of the red circle she had drawn, it was back. Plain as day. Storybrooke.

Robin looked up as he heard the tapping again. He opened the window to a raven sitting on the sill. Attached to its leg was a small note. In handwriting that he would recognize anywhere Robin read the two words he wanted to see most in the world:

_"Come home."_

_**Sorry guys this is the shortest one yet, but some pretty important things just happened! Who's ready to see Robin come home?**_


	4. Chapter 4-Coming Home

Chapter 4 – Coming Home

"Marian! Marian! Come here!" Robin was so excited about the raven and Regina's note that he seemed to forget who he was actually calling out for. When Marian arrived in the doorway his face turned funny. "Oh no…"

"Robin what's going on?" Marian looked back and forth between the bird on the window sill and Robin. "Are you alright?" She had noticed when his face had taken a funny turn.

"Yeah, I'm alright. This bird just showed up with a note from," he paused, he wasn't sure how she would take the fact that the note was from Regina.

"From Regina," she offered with a soft smile. Robin knew it hurt her, but he was starting to realize that maybe there was more to the situation between the two women than he knew.

"Yeah. Anyway, as I went to let the bird in I looked at the map, and look!" Marian walked over to the desk and looked to where he was pointing. Sure enough Storybrooke had reappeared. "And the note, well the note said we can come home, but I don't know, I can't just leave you out here by yourself."

"Maybe you don't have too. Maybe if she found a way to let you come back, she can find a way for me to stay." Marian smiled gently again. There was definitely something between the two of them that he wasn't privy to. "Why don't you send the bird back with a message saying we are on our way, and see if there is something she can think of to help me." She left the room calling out to Roland to start packing up his few belongings.

"You know, she may be right." Robin spoke out loud to the raven that was still in the window, "Here", he wrote out the message and tied it to the bird's leg. "Find Regina!"

As he watched the raven fly away out the window Robin pressed his fingers to his lips and murmured, "We'll be home soon M'lady, we'll be home soon."

-o-o-

"Enough!" Rumple had had it with the two women bickering with each other. There had to be something more productive that they could be doing. It wasn't his fault that the blasted bird hadn't returned yet. Maleficent had seen Regina's mockingbird leave Gold's shop and had quietly intercepted it. She had then sent her own raven, and the note that was meant for Robin on to Rumple in the city. In turn Rumple had sent the raven on to Robin and had collected Ursula and Cruella. Now they were simply waiting. Surely the bird would return with a reply to Regina and they would all be returning to Storybrooke.

What they were expecting to find when they arrived Rumple wasn't really sure. As long as his dear wife had his dagger he couldn't reenter the town, but the one thing that the townspeople weren't counting on was the dragon in their midst. Rumple had restored Maleficent to her human form shortly before leaving town, and no one not Belle or even Regina knew she was there.

"At last that wretched bird is back." Cruella lifted her hand and the bird perched gracefully atop it. She took the note from its leg and read it. "Regina's thief is returning. He's bringing the woman and child with him."

"Good," Robin's return would be the perfect distraction, "then we can all get into town without the rest of them knowing." Rumple looked off into the distance. "Give the bird back the letter. We can't have it too much delayed dearie. Not if we don't expect anyone to notice." With that he took the beast and threw it out into the night. "Go find the Queen." How was he supposed to know that the Queen had sent an entirely different bird…

"Come along dearies," he called as he turned to walk away, "there is somewhere we need to be."

-o-o-

The bird had been gone a week now. A week. How far away had they gone that the bird wasn't back yet? Regina hated using birds to communicate, but in this case it seemed like their only option and the jet black mockingbird had seemed more than capable of the job. Now however Regina wasn't so sure.

She sat at the counter at Granny's with Snow and Emma. Regina's left hand hovered instinctually over her abdomen as she played with her food.

"Regina I know you're worried about Robin, but you have to eat." Snow was giving her a stern look. "This isn't just about you anymore, that baby has to eat too."

"Snow!" Regina knew that Snow was only trying to help, but she was incredibly terrible at keeping secrets. "Hush! Not everyone is privy to all the details of our lives. After all we are still the Royal family…" Now Snow was the one receiving a stern look.

"Just eat Regina," Emma sighed as she got up to leave, "She won't quit nagging until you do." Emma's stage whisper was plenty loud enough for Snow to hear, and it made Regina laugh.

"Emma!"

"Bye mom!" Emma laughed as she left the dinner.

"So Regina, before I blurt your big secret out in public again, as Queen how are you going to tell everyone about the ba- bug?" Regina's sharp look was the only thing that kept Snow from saying baby.

"Tell everyone? Why do I have to tell everyone? It's my body. It's my," she looked around to make sure nobody was listening, "it's my baby." Regina really did whisper that last part.

"Because you're Royal and that's what we do. Believe me I wasn't thrilled about it the first time either. I mean that was considering the fact that you were intent on destroying my happiness at that point." Snow smiled, but she knew that Regina wouldn't take the comment lightly. Any mention of her past mistakes and Regina had taken to either crying or apologizing for everything she had ever done. Neither of which would turn out well in public.

At almost twelve weeks Regina's once flat stomach was starting to show. If she continued to dress in her normal style people were going to notice the pregnancy before she made a formal announcement. "Fine. Help me come up with the best way to tell people here. I know you just kind of said it to the masses back in the Enchanted Forest when you were announcing Neal, but here. Well here is not the Enchanted Forest and I don't have a Prince Charming standing next to me to tell everyone."

"Well, honestly it might be easiest to do it in the same way that we announced Neal's name. Just here at Granny's in front of everyone. That way it's out there and we don't have to keep skating around it anymore."

"You mean so you don't accidentally blow it?" Regina's snarky comments fell on deaf ears.

"I say you just make the announcement tonight. In a dress that shows off that bump." Snow grinned as she dropped cash on the counter and headed for the door.

"I don't have a bump," Regina mumbled to herself as she followed Snow out the door.

The afternoon seemed to go by in a blur. It went much the same as every other day had gone. They went about work as if this were a normal town and there was no magic barrier that was separating them from the outside world. As if Regina wasn't waiting on her mockingbird to bring news back from Robin. It had been a week. She couldn't help it, she watched the window as she went about her work. She paced up and down the office as she read things over. Nothing could keep her still.

Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap. Regina and Snow exchanged a quick glance and then they both lunged for the window. They pulled up the blind to find the raven sitting on the window sill. A note tied to its leg. Regina took the note as Snow picked up the bird. Regina read:

M'lady,

Nothing has ever made me happier than receiving your note. As I went to open the window for the bird, I glanced at the map that you gave me before we left. The town is back. The red circle you drew now contains the town again! If the magic has truly worked then you may be able to find a way for Marian to return as well. We are all three packing as I write this, we are leaving tonight. As I said before, I choose you.

Forever Your Thief,

Robin of Locksley

Regina's heart leapt. He was coming home. They were all coming home. With her magic combined with the little bug's she was sure that she could take away Marian's curse. He still chose her, he was coming back for her. Regina was so caught up in her excitement that she was just realizing that Snow hadn't said a word.

"Snow, what's the matter?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. Something is off though. This is a raven, and we sent the note with a mockingbird. You don't think Robin would have used a different bird for some reason do you?"

"Not unless there was something wrong with the first one. It seemed fine when it left here with my note though. We can ask him when they get here."

"They? They are all coming back?"

"Yeah, it's okay though I think the magic that knocked out the curse may have allowed Marian to come into town without dying again. Even if not, I think that the little bug and I may be able to save her, if we work together again."

"Regina I don't really think that was very good for either one of you. You probably shouldn't rely on it, or any of your magic really for the next few months."

Regina shot death glares at Snow from across the room. She had tried quitting magic before, and that always seemed to lead to more trouble than it was worth. Especially now, with an abundance of the stuff floating around in her system. It seemed like everything she did radiated with light magic nowadays. She wasn't going to let Snow tell her how to deal with something she had never experienced.

Afternoon faded to evening and Regina, Snow and baby Neal set off from the Mayors' Office to Granny's. Henry greeted them as they came in the door and Emma took Neal from Snow. Belle and David had secured their favorite corner table and they all settled in. As they ate Snow and Regina filled in the others on Robin's return letter and the fact that Regina felt as though Marian's curse was most likely gone. As Ruby cleared their plates away their conversation came back to the bird.

"So you said the bird was different?" David was looking at Snow, but speaking to the both of them. "What do you mean different?"

"I mean it wasn't the same bird. I sent the letter with a mockingbird and the bird that flew into our office this afternoon was a raven." Regina looked at them all in turn as she spoke.

"Why would he switch birds?" Henry seemed to be thinking out loud, "That doesn't make any sense, you would think the same bird would make the return trip faster."

"You're right kid, none of this makes any sense. If you sent one bird that's the bird that should have returned with his message."

"Who's sending messages by bird?" Killian had just joined them as he came into the diner with some of the Merry Men.

Everyone put their heads down, so Belle answered him, "Regina used a mockingbird to send a message to Robin, but his return message came via raven. No one is really sure why."

"Ah…" Killian seemed to understand the dilemma, small things like this could lead to serious problems in this town.

"Umm, pardon me m'lady," Little John was addressing Regina from where he had entered the diner behind Killian, "did I hear say you sent a message to Robin."

"Yes," Regina replied smiling as she stood to address the Merry Man, "he, along with Marian and Roland should be returning to town soon." Little John smiled as he reached out and hugged the queen.

"I'm sorry Your Majesty!" He apologized suddenly realizing what he had done.

"It's fine Little John," Regina smiled warmly at him, "and I've told you before, it's just Regina."

Little John bowed to her as he backed away, "Of course m'lady." He winked as he stood upright and walked away from them.

Regina remained standing as she looked around the diner. A good number of people were here, the dwarves were sitting along the counter. Robin's Merry Men, including Will and Little John were sitting in the booths along the wall. Granny and Ruby were running the show, her family was sitting in the front window. She took a deep breath. It was time.

She cleared her throat loudly, "Excuse me everyone, may I have your attention?" Every voice in the diner died out as all eyes turned to face the Queen. "As a lot of you know, before Robin left, he and I had a somewhat serious relationship." She looked over at Emma and Snow who were smiling and nodding, encouraging her to go on. "Anyway, shortly after Robin and his family left town I made a somewhat startling discovery. It turns out that Robin left something behind when he left." She put a hand on her stomach and saw the recognition in some faces as she continued. "As Queen, it's only right that I announce this formally and publicly, so here you go. I, Regina Mills, am carrying Robin Hood's baby, and it's time that was no longer a secret."

Regina smiled and blushed as the whole place erupted in applause and shouts of congratulations. No one noticed at first when the front door to the diner opened and three people came in. "Regina?"

Everyone froze, all eyes turned from Regina to Robin as they realized what they were about to witness. Regina moved towards Robin but stopped just inches short. She looked up into his face as he bent and kissed her. Long and hard, like they had been separated years, not months. Regina turned a bright shade of red as she turned to apologize to Marian.

Before she even opened her mouth Marian stopped her. "Just take care of him, and love them both for me okay?" Regina nodded and smiled at the woman who had once hated her. She didn't think she could be any happier, at least until…

"Regina?"

"Yes Roland?"

"Why is everyone so happy?"

"Well, you see," Regina wrapped her arms around Robin's waist, "I was just telling everyone about the present your daddy left with me before you all went away." She looked up into Robin's confused eyes as she spoke to his young son.

"I didn't leave anything special with you." Robin was obviously missing what she was trying to tell him. "What are you smiling about?"

"Robin," Regina spoke the next part quietly, after all everyone else already knew, "we are having a baby."

He picked her up, spun her around and kissed her again to the applause and cheers of everyone there. Henry and Roland high-fived and everyone seemed genuinely happy for the pair of them. Only Marian noticed when the small, blonde woman at the back of the diner slowly got up and left out the back door.


	5. Chapter 5-Darkness On The Edge Of Town

Chapter 5 – Darkness On The Edge Of Town

After Regina's announcement and Robin's return the entire diner seemed to be radiating happiness. As Robin left Regina's side to go and address his Merry Men Regina felt someone grab her elbow. She turned around to find Marian standing behind her. A soft, almost apologetic smile crept over Regina's lips.

"Marian, I…"

"Regina stop. Congratulations, there is never a wrong time for a baby." Marian smiled, but then an all too serious look crossed her face. "I haven't turned to ice yet, but I keep waiting. Do you think it's broken? The curse I mean?"

"Honestly I think it may be. When we lifted the curse on the edge of town I think that it was the same spell that was cursing you. I truly believe that you are free." She smiled at the woman who a short time ago had hated her beyond anything in the world, "Marian, is there something else?" Regina couldn't help but notice the look of concern in the maid's eyes.

"Actually yes, but I don't think this is the place."

"How about we take the boys home and we can all discuss it at my house?" Regina's offer made it clear that Marian and Roland were both welcome in her home for the evening.

"That might be a good idea." Marian turned away to go get Roland as Regina approached Robin. She slid her arms around his waist and he turned away from his men to face her.

"I think it's time to call it a night, we have some things we need to talk about." She nodded in the direction of Marian who was telling the Charmings that it was time to leave. "Marian seems worried about something, but she didn't want to discuss it here. Let's go home."

Robin grinned down at her, not sure if she was serious or not. "Okay m'lady, let's go." He bent and touched his forehead to hers as he took her hand and led her from the diner. Goodbyes and more shouts of congratulations followed them out the door.

"Papa!" Roland came out of the dinner in front of the Charmings, "Regina! Wait for me!" He came running after them as fast as he could, even though they hadn't even made it to the street yet. "Don't leave without me!"

"Roland," Robin scooped him up and settled him on his hip before taking Regina's hand again, "We were not leaving you, we are all going to the same place."

"Right," Regina dropped Robin's hand and turned to face their little party, "is anyone opposed to faster means of travel?" When no one answered her Regina flipped her wrists and suddenly they were all standing in her front hall.

"Regina! I seriously don't think that can be good for the baby." Snow looked like she was ready to spit fire, "You have got to try and tone it down a bit!"

"You cannot possibly understand this, but I can't! Now more than ever I feel so powerful, it's almost as if I could hurt myself more by not using it, there is just so much of it!" Regina was starting to talk really fast, and she was loosing some of her carefully maintained composure.

"Regina," Emma reached out and touched the queen's shoulder, taking some of the magic out of her as she did so, "Regina you have to calm down. It's okay, no one is going to lecture you about the magic anymore, how do you feel?" She shot a dark look at Snow while she waited for an answer.

"I'm fine, really, the magic makes me light, and happy, I honestly think she likes me using it." Regina looked Emma square in the eye as she spoke, she really did feel wonderful, and the baby really did seem to enjoy the magic.

"She?" Robin had spoken up, after all it was his baby they were all yelling about.

"Oh right," Henry laughed as he came up beside Robin, "Mom's having a girl."

"A girl! Regina that's great! But wait…how far along are you? I didn't think you could tell until later on? Even here in this world with their modern technology?"

"Normally they can't, but you see, in this family, nothing is ever normal. You'll get used to it." Henry laughed at Robin's confused face.

"Henry," Killian spoke up from behind Emma, "why don't you take the lad upstairs to your room and get him settled in for the night, he's had a long day. You can come back down to the queen's study when your done."

"Alright, come on then Roland." He took the lad from Robin and after the boy said goodnight to both Marian and Regina they headed off up the stairs. Charming opened the door to Regina's study and they all filed in.

"Okay, what's going on tonight? Are we going to discuss the bird situation, or why are we all here?" Charming didn't seem to know who to address, so he kept looking back and forth between Snow and Regina.

"Well, we definitely need to talk about the bird, but…" Snow was cut off as Robin butted in.

"What bird?"

Emma spoke up from the couch, "The one that you sent back to Regina, it wasn't the same bird that she sent to you."

"Yes it was," Robin looked across at Marian, "I sent my note back with the raven that delivered Regina's message to us."

"See there in lies the problem mate," Killian was helping himself to Regina's sidebar, "the queen sent you a mockingbird."

"What?"

"So you see, somehow the birds got switched, someone read our letters." Regina looked as though she were about ready to cry. "But I don't understand who would know to do it in the first place?"

"I think I might." Marian spoke up from across the room. "That's why I asked you to leave the diner. Did anyone else see the blonde lady that left through the back after Robin and Roland and I showed up? There was something strange about her."

"I saw her too." Henry spoke up from the doorway. "And I think I know what's going on. Did you say it was a raven that was carrying the letter?"

"Yeah."

"I thought so. And you said the woman was blonde right?" He asked Marian with a look far too serious for a boy his age.

"Yes, I'm sure of it."

"Why is it always the blondes?" Regina threw a sarcastic grin at Emma, but Emma was focused on Henry.

"What are you getting at kid?"

"Well who do we know that is blonde, and may or may not have ravens?" He was addressing Regina at this point. When she realized what he was saying she gasped.

"No Henry, no. That's impossible. She's dead. Emma killed her when we were trying to save you."

"You don't mean Maleficent? Henry, I stuck a sword in her! She's a goner."

"Really you guys? You don't think there is any chance that she wasn't actually dead. That she couldn't have come back somehow?"

"I guess it's possible, but she was some sort of undead thing last time anyone saw her. How could she have possibly gotten her body back? And why would she interrupt my letter to Robin?"

"Mom, Robin and Marian weren't the only ones trapped outside of town. My grandfather is out there too, and we all know how clever he can be."

"Alright Henry," Emma yawned as she stood up from the couch, "if it was Maleficent, and Gold is involved, this is about to get a lot more complicated. I think it's time for bed."

The Charmings all got up to leave, and Henry kissed Emma goodnight as he made his way upstairs to his room. Marian got up to follow them out, "Marian, wait! You don't have to go, we have plenty of room if you'd like." Regina felt she owed Marian, especially after her help tonight.

"That's okay Regina, really. I think I'll be more than happy at Granny's. Thank you though." She caught Regina by surprise as she gathered her into a hug. "Look after them okay?" She whispered in the queen's ear before she pulled away. With a smile Regina nodded as she closed the door behind her.

She made her way back into the study where Robin was still sitting, she leaned against the door just waiting for him to look up. She smiled when his gaze finally met hers. "It's never easy is it?" She asked as he took her in his arms.

"Would you want it to be?" He smiled down at her as he kissed the end of her nose lightly. Without waiting for her answer he posed another question. "So a little girl huh?" Slowly he moved his hand from her hip to her stomach, as if asking for her permission.

She leaned into him, giving her consent to be touched as she answered his question. "Yeah, according to the prophecy anyway." She led him across the room to her desk, where the book of prophecies lay open. She watched his face as he read the one she pointed out to him.

"Is she really that powerful?" He asked, not with fear, but with admiration in his eyes.

Warmth grew up from Regina's abdomen, so hot that she placed Robin's hand on her stomach once more. "Feel that?" When he nodded she held his gaze and smiled, "Somebody wanted to say hi to her daddy." Robin leaned downed and kissed her. This kiss wasn't like the one in the diner, that one had been full of longing and love, this one was more passionate, their love combined with something more. Something stronger. This kiss was filled with Hope.

-o-o-

Maleficent had no idea that the royal family had noticed her in the diner. She had no reason to believe that anyone knew she was responsible for the bird changing. What she did know was that Robin Hood was back, which meant that the Dark One must be close by as well. She had heard what the librarian had done. She knew of his banishment, now it was time to see if she could find him.

Maleficent headed for the town line. It seemed like the best place to start was the main road into town, from there she could set about looking for him. She knew he'd be here, he wanted nothing more than to get back into this wretched town. Why, she didn't really know. Except for maybe the magic, there was no real particular reason to stay.

As she approached the line she checked behind her, and all around to make sure she was alone, then she called out for them, "Dark One? My dears? Are you here?" Sure enough the sound of footsteps approached from the other side of the line. Three figures appeared, shrouded by the darkness of the night.

"My dear Maleficent, how wonderful."

"Dark One," she acknowledged him first as a sign of respect, "Ursula, Cruella, wonderful to see you both again. Won't you join me on this side of the line?" The two women looked at Rumple, who nodded to them, he wanted to self Regina had put up any new sort of defense. The women stepped across the line easily, they met no resistance.

"Wonderful!" Rumple seemed genuinely pleased with the fact that they could enter the town. "Did they reunite?" He asked Maleficent as the other two adjusted to their magic returning.

"They did. They met again at Granny's, right after the Queen made a little announcement."

Cruella looked at her with curiosity, "What kind of announcement?"

"Well they were talking about the message she sent Robin, and how something was odd about it…"

"What was odd? We sent it back to her in plenty of time. It should have made it back this afternoon."

"What? What bird did you send it with?"

"The Queen's raven, that's what we got the first message with as well."

"You fools! That was my raven! The Queen sent a mockingbird and I intercepted it! I didn't think he'd send her an answer!"

"It was your bird?" Rumple was furious, Maleficent could have just ruined everything. "You're lucky you're on the other side of that line dearie, because I am terribly unhappy…"

Maleficent cringed away from his rage, even though he couldn't hurt her from the outside of the line. "Well I guess you don't care what her announcement was then do you?"

"Of course I care, what did our darling queen have to say?"

"Just something about carrying the thief's child…" She started to turn and walk away, leaving Rumple at the line.

"NO!" His cry of outrage caused the women to turn back around. "It cannot be! She cannot have his baby! The prophecy cannot come to be!"

"What are you going on about Dark One?"

"There is a prophecy about that child, Her child." He looked across the town line as if hoping his rage would somehow let him pass. "Her child will be the undoing of us all, we will never see our happy endings."

Maleficent exchanged a look with the other two women, and then smiled devilishly, "Don't worry Dark One, we'll be back, but for now, getting rid of a baby just made the top of our to do list." Without so much as a backwards glance Maleficent spun on her heels and led the Queens of Darkness into Storybrooke.


	6. Chapter 6-Surprises

Chapter 6 – Surprises

There was an unusual silence in Granny's the next morning. None of the Royal family had ventured in for breakfast yet when Marian sat down at the counter. She knew that a part of her should show some emotion for leaving Robin and Roland behind, but honestly she didn't belong with them. Not anymore anyway. _Ding, ding, da, ding, ding_. Marian looked up as the front door of the diner opened. Henry came rushing through the door, chased seconds later by Roland who was laughing and smiling as he chased the older boy.

"Henry! Slow down! Have a seat before you break something."

Henry grinned sheepishly as he and Roland slid into one side of his favorite booth. "Sorry Granny."

"Roland," Regina looked sternly at the younger boy as she and Robin joined their sons, "What should you do?"

"Sorry Granny."

"It's alright, just remember that you can't run around like flying monkeys in here." Granny smiled as she set down two glasses of chocolate milk and two cups of coffee. "An omelette for Regina, pancakes for Henry, what about you two?"

"I want donuts!"

"No!" Both Regina and Marian spoke at the same time.

"Mama!" Roland struggled to climb over the top of Henry in order to escape the booth.

Marian leaned down to give him a hug as Robin spoke up.

"He can have pancakes, and I'll have an omelette as well. Thank you Granny."

"It'll be right up." Granny turned back to the kitchen just as the bell on the door chimed again. The Charmings and Hook slid into the booth just behind Henry.

"Morning Kid." Emma reached across the back of the booth to ruffle Henry's hair. "What's up?"

"School…"

"Speaking of which," Regina pointed at the two plates of pancakes Granny had just set on the table, "Roland, get up here and eat before school."

"School?" Marian walked over with Roland from the counter. She looked at Robin, "You are putting him in school?"

"Marian, he's plenty old enough, and we talked about it, and with everything going on, knowing he's safe all day may be the best thing."

"We didn't discuss anything, you made this decision without me!"

"Maybe this isn't the place." Snow spoke up from the other booth. "Marian, school won't hurt anything and they didn't mean to make any decisions without you. Robin's right, school may be the best place for him right now."

"Okay," Marian conceded, obviously Snow was right. Robin and Regina were just trying to do what was best for him. "How do we enroll him?"

"I'll take care of that." Snow got up from the booth and handed Neal to David. "Come on boys, school." She glanced back at Regina on her way out the door, "I'll head to the office when I'm done. Meet you there?"

"That's perfect. Thank you, Snow." Her stepdaughter smiled as she left with the boys. Regina looked at Robin, "That was easy enough. Do you want to come to the office with me? We can try and figure out this whole Maleficent issue."

"That sounds fine. As long as we can have lunch privately somewhere today. I have something for you."

"Really? For me? For what?" Robin had rarely seen his perfectly poised queen quite so anxious. "I don't like surprises." She smiled gently as she leaned into his shoulder, "I find them threatening."

Robin laughed, "This one isn't threatening, I promise you that m'lady." He kissed her forehead as they moved to get up from the booth. Once they were standing Robin wrapped his arm around her waist, his fingertips just brushing the edge of her baby bump. "Emma, are you guys going to join us to discuss this dragon lady nonsense?"

Emma looked up from her bacon and eggs, "Yeah we will meet you there after breakfast."

"David," Regina stepped towards him as he tried to juggle Neal and eat his waffles, "Here, we will take Neal with us while you finish breakfast." She scooped the baby up into the crook of her arm, and Robin leaned down for the diaper bag.

"We could use the practice mate." Robin quipped as he and Regina made their way to the door. Only Marian seemed unamused by the Queen and her Thief taking care of the little prince.

-o-o-

Maleficent was watching the diner. She knew that Regina had sent the boys off to school and that she was caring for Snow's new baby this morning, but it wasn't Regina that she was watching. Not right now anyway. It was the maid that had come into town with Regina's thief. There was something off about her. She wasn't playing her part quite right. The heroes were bound to notice soon enough. Maleficent had to head her off.

She waited across the street from the diner until the woman left. She followed her down the street, until she turned into an alley.

"I know you're there," Marian called out and then she waited for Maleficent to join her in the alley. "What do you want Maleficent?"

"Oh you know who I am? How lovely. And your name is Marian right?"

Marian laughed, catching Maleficent by surprise. "Yes, I guess it is. At least that's who they all presume I am." She grinned wickedly at the blonde witch. "But they don't really know everything."

"Whatever are you talking about dear?" Maleficent knew then that she had been right. There was something off about this woman. She wasn't what she appeared to be. Maleficent stepped closer to her. It was there, just barely, but she could feel the underlying currents. "You have magic." It wasn't a question. "Just who are you really?"

The wicked smile returned to Marian's face. "Clever, those so called heroes had no idea that I wasn't who I appeared to be. But then they'd never suspect the truth." She stepped closer to Maleficent, closing the distance between them. She held out her hand for the other woman to take. "My name is Zelena."

-o-o-

"Wait!" Ursula grabbed Cruella's arm before she stepped out onto the sidewalk. "Do you want to be seen? What are you doing?"

"Oh darling, don't be such a guppy, come along. However are we supposed to find what we need if we don't keep an eye on that lovely little wife of his?"

We have to be careful. None of our 'charming' heroes know we are here yet. The last thing we need is for Regina to get wind of us being here before we have the Dark One on our side." Ursula shot daggers at Cruella as she released her arm. "We can see both the shop and her precious library from here. We should wait."

Wait, wait, wait, Cruella had never been good at waiting and that's exactly what Maleficent had left them here to do. She had gone off on her own without telling them where she was going and she just expected them to wait. Well, something better happen soon. There's no telling what kind of mischief Cruella could cook up if she was left unoccupied for too long.

"Look!" Cruella looked up and followed where Ursula was pointing.

"Well, well, well, come along darling, it looks like it may be our lucky day." The two Queens of Darkness watched as Belle left the shop and headed for the Mayors' Office. Now that they knew she was out of the way, they could search for the one thing they needed to get the Dark One back into Storybrooke. His dagger.

Little did they know, their 'charming' heroes knew exactly what they were after, and exactly how to ensure they didn't get it.

-o-o-

Regina had never been more thankful for lunch time. They had spent the entire morning grilling her for everything that she knew about Maleficent. She told them everything she could, but she was glad that Henry wasn't here to relive all of her mistakes with the rest of them. There were plenty of things she would have rather not remembered about that point of her life.

"M'lady, what's the matter?" Robin had come up behind her as she stood facing the window. Everyone else had left for lunch, they were finally alone.

"Nothing," she turned to face him and put her palms on his chest, "I just hate reliving all my past downfalls." She smiled, "Oh well, what's done is done. I seem to recall you saying something about a surprise?"

He took her hand and led her across the office to the couch. He left her sitting there as he retrieved his bag from her desk. "Aye, m'lady, that I did. Close your eyes."

She glanced sideways at him and closed her eyes with a smirk. She didn't like surprises, but after everything they'd been through she trusted him. After a few seconds, and the sound of some shuffling around in his bag she felt the weight of something he set on her lap.

"Okay lovely, open."

Regina opened her eyes to a small stack of folded paper in her lap. "Robin…" she picked up the first piece of paper and opened it. She read the letter quietly, when she finished she looked up at him. "Robin," she leaned across the distance between them and kissed him softly, "are these all for me?"

"Yes, one for everyday we were apart. One for everyday I spent missing you." He kissed the tear running down her cheek. "Why are you crying? If they upset you, you don't have to have them." He reached for the pile on her lap.

"No!" She collected the letters in her hands. "It's not that, not at all. They are beautiful. Thank you," she smiled a truly genuine smile, "I love them." Her smile flattened out a little bit, "About Maleficent…"

"Lovely, I don't care about what your past is with that monster. That's not you anymore, and I love you. All of you, even your mistakes. Without them you wouldn't be the person you are today, and this little girl," he placed a hand on her stomach, "she wouldn't have been possible." He kissed her softly, "We will deal with whatever Maleficent throws at us, and from now on, we do it together."

They sat in silence for a full thirty seconds before… "Oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt." Snow looked slightly embarrassed about wrecking what was obviously a very emotional moment for the queen. "Belle just called Emma, apparently when she got back to the shop there was evidence of a break in. Emma and David are headed over there now, but she said there were signs of magic. We thought you may want to come too?"

"Of course." Regina stood and moved to her desk, placing Robin's letters in the hidden drawer and sealing it with blood magic. She didn't want anyone else to read them, they were too special. She joined Robin and Snow at the door and together they headed for Gold's shop.

-o-o-

"Dark One!" Cruella called out for Rumple as they neared to town line. He wasn't going to be pleased. They hadn't been able to find the dagger in either the shop or the library. Belle had done a better job hiding it than he had anticipated.

"Did you find it?" He moved out of the shadows along the edge of the trees. "Where is our dear dragon mistress?"

"I'm here Rumple." Maleficent appeared before them all. "Cruella? Did you secure the dagger?"

"I'm afraid not. It's not in either your shop or your darling wife's library. Do you have anymore suggestions?"

"What do you mean it's not there? Where else would she have hidden it? This isn't like her!" Rumple seemed astonished by Belle's ability to outthink him.

"May I offer a suggestion?" Someone spoke up from Maleficent's shadow.

"Who might you be darling?"

The speaker stepped around the dragon witch an into view of the others.

"Marian?" Rumple was even more confused. "What are you doing with Maleficent? And what would you know about where Belle is keeping the dagger?"

"See that's just it dearie, I don't think your lovely little wife has your precious dagger anymore."

"Not have it? Then who does, and why…" He trailed off, Marian's words seemed to have just fully registered in his mind. "You're not Marian…"

"Quite right my dear Rumple," her wicked smile had once again returned.

"Zelena…" Rumple stepped forward, "but how? I killed you! You should be dead!"

"You may want me dead dearie, but right now you need my help, and we both want the same thing. The end of my little sister." She smiled before she went on, "I have a feeling I know exactly where to look for your precious dagger…"

...

_**It's called Surprises, what do you guys think? Were you surprised? Do you think all our lovely villains can get along well enough to get their happy endings?**_


	7. Chapter 7-Unexpected Visitors

Chapter 7 – Unexpected Visitors, Uninvited Guests

Emma and David were already there when the other three arrived at Gold's shop. Regina could tell from the look on Belle's face that something was wrong. "Belle," Regina moved forward towards the younger woman, "what happened? Is anything missing?"

Belle shook her head, "No, and that's what is scaring me. You would think that if she was going to bother to break in she would have at least taken something." Belle looked around nervously, she couldn't place the off feeling, but something wasn't right.

"Regina, do you feel that?" Emma was looking around the shop as she spoke.

The queen placed both hands over her abdomen and closed her eyes. She felt it. The pull that Emma was feeling. Much stronger than anything they'd felt since she removed the curse on the town line. She opened her eyes, "Magic. And powerful magic at that, someone has been here, and I don't think it was Maleficent."

"Belle," David was looking around the shop, do you have any security cameras in here?"

"There aren't any inside the shop, but when I asked Rumple about it before he said one of your traffic cameras watched the front door."

David headed towards the door, "Wait David, that's unnecessary. I said I didn't think it was Maleficent, I do think it was someone else." Snow looked at her questioningly, but before she could even ask what Regina meant the door to the shop opened.

"Marian?" Robin moved in front of Regina, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to warn you. Maleficent found me this morning. She was trying to figure out what you all were up too. She said something about looking for a knife?"

"Rumple's dagger. That makes sense, if she has it she can let him back into town." As nervous as that thought made Belle, she couldn't help but see the logic in it.

"Don't worry dear, we won't let her get to it." Regina touched Belle's hand, "I made you a promise, and we intend to keep it. The dagger is safe, after you gave it to me for safe keeping I hid it somewhere he will never think to look."

Emma stepped towards Marian, "Where did she find you this morning? How much does she know?"

"She just knows that the dagger can bring the Dark One back into town. That in order for their plan to succeed he has to be on this side of the line. I'm sorry, I have to go, I just wanted to warn you she was looking." With that Marian turned and left the shop as suddenly as she had come.

"Something isn't right. With Marian, something is off. Regina?" Emma stopped her train of thought, Regina's face gave her away, she knew something was off too.

"Didn't you feel it Miss Swan? How did we not notice it last night?" Regina seemed lost in her own thoughts. "Robin," she turned to face him, "when you crossed back into town last night, did Marian pause after reentering the town? Did she shudder or shake?"

"Umm, yeah. I thought it was just a side effect of her curse. Why?"

"You don't think…?" Emma's eyes were wide, "You think Marian has magic?" She shook her head it was impossible. Marian hadn't had magic ever before.

"No Miss Swan, I don't, but I do think Maleficent has found herself an ally."

"Regina, love, I know you're not Marian's biggest fan, but do you really think she would align herself with the villains instead of us?" Robin looked at Regina like he thought she'd gone crazy. "Why would she do that? She has no reason to side with Maleficent?"

"Marian may not, but someone else does!" Emma had finally come to the same realization as Regina. As impossible as it sounded it made sense.

"Who?" Belle, Robin and the Charmings all looked expectantly at Regina.

"My sister."

-o-o-

Zelena reappeared at the town line just moments after leaving Gold's shop. The so called "heroes" knew that Maleficent wasn't working alone. That much was certain, but she felt that her cover was still in tact. They had believed her, and accepted what she told them without question. A wicked smile flashed across her lips.

"I'm back! And I was right. Regina has the dagger, and she has supposedly hidden it somewhere you would never think to look."

"Well darling, that's not terribly helpful is it. If he gives any suggestions that's probably not where she hid it." Cruella was unimpressed by Zelena's information. They knew little more now than they had known before.

"Enough Cruella! Thank you dear," Maleficent addressed Zelena kindly, "now we can make a plan."

"A plan won't help you now dearie," they all looked across at Rumple. "If what you say is true, and she hid it from me, then now, with all the power she is holding, it will be even more difficult to find."

"Then what are we going to do? How do we get you back into town?" Zelena was ready to face Rumple without the protection of the line.

"Ursula?" Rumple turned to the sea witch, "While you were in my shop did you see a black leather cuff? I'd imagine that it came back in the last curse."

"Your shop is full of trinkets, and we were looking for a dagger. I didn't notice a cuff."

"I did." They turned to look at Zelena, "It's in the display case. I know what that cuff does Rumple, if it even works you won't have any magic when you get in here."

"Well for you, I'd say that's a good thing. There is less of a chance of me personally killing you then. But don't forget dearie, you not only took my son from me, but you took my grandson's father, and I don't think either of his mothers will let you live after that. You had better hope that they don't realize who you are."

Maleficent stepped between the two before things got out of control. "We will retrieve the cuff, but if it takes your power then how are you any more good to us on this side of the line?"

"Oh, I can do much more than magic dearie."

Maleficent looked at the other three in turn, Cruella and Ursula both nodded once. They were in. She turned on Zelena, "I don't know what you have done in your past, and honestly I don't really care. What I need to know is if you are willing to cooperate with us. After all you are the one who first said we all have a common goal. To see the end of their happiness, and the beginning of ours." She flashed a brilliantly white smile at all of them.

Reluctantly Zelena agreed, "I'm in."

"Perfect. We will be back after sundown Dark One, and you will be joining us as we take their happy endings for ourselves." In a puff of dark smoke Rumple found himself once again alone.

-o-o-

"Your sister? Regina that's not possible. Zelena is dead we watched the video, her portal opened. It doesn't make any sense!" Snow seemed determined not to believe it.

"Which is exactly why it is the only explanation." Emma looked straight in Regina's eyes. "I know what happened."

"Emma?" David looked concerned. "What do you mean you know what happened?"

"When Hook and I went through, so did Zelena. She wasn't in a substantial form, but she made one in the Enchanted Forest. Going through the portal somehow her magic returned." Emma paused, "Then Hook and I saw Regina threatening a village and she had Marian as her prisoner. Zelena must have seen it too. Sometime before we escaped from your dungeons Zelena must have killed the real Marian and then taken her place."

"Wait, so let's get this straight," Robin looked like this was all too much, "You mean to tell me that Marian never came back? That we," he wrapped his arm around Regina, "that we fought to save Zelena from the Snow Queen's curse? That we were separated for weeks because of some Wicked Witch?" Robin was growing more and more upset with every word he spoke. He kissed Regina's hair before going on. "I could have been here, I could have celebrated the news of our little one with you when you first found out. I never needed to leave you alone."

"Robin you can't blame yourself for all of that. She had everyone fooled, and you were doing what was best for Roland. You had to give him his best chance at a family. You did the right thing." Regina touched his cheek softly as she calmed him down. "Right now I think we have a more pressing issue at hand. Maleficent knows that we know she's here."

"But they don't know we know about Zelena! That's it! They can't find out that we know Marian isn't really Marian. We have to act like everything is normal."

"No." Regina pulled away from Robin suddenly, "Roland, we can't let her back around Roland, who knows what she could do, but if we don't they will know we are on to them." She sighed, "Why can't things ever be simple?"

"Now Your Majesty, what fun would that be?" David grinned as Regina smacked his arm.

"Regina's right," Belle moved around the counter, "She can't be near Roland, but I have another question. Regina, you said it wasn't Maleficent's magic earlier, but you thought you recognized it, who's magic was it?"

"Ah right," she laid a hand on top of her stomach as she spoke, " Ursula. I sensed Ursula's magic, but there's more. Someone I can't quite place."

"Great, so not only do we have a shape shifting dragon, and a resurrected Wicked Witch, we also have a sea witch and an unknown fourth villain descending on the town." Emma rolled her eyes.

"Not to mention the possibility of Rumple being back." Belle looked slightly frightened by the idea.

"Right, somehow I managed to forget that. Five villains, all at once, awesome. We have a bandit princess, a shepherd prince, a pirate, a thief, a Savior and a pregnant, former Evil Queen, we might as well sign up for the Avengers Initiative."

"Emma!"

"What? We aren't exactly the Dream Team at the moment?"

"Maybe not, but we do have something they don't. Two of the most powerful sources of light magic there have ever been."

Regina wasn't one for Snow's hope speeches but this time she was right. "Three," she spoke up suddenly.

"What?" Robin looked down at Regina.

"The baby makes three. We have the three most powerful light witches to ever exist on our side." She rubbed a hand lovingly over her bump, "If I need her, she will protect me."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean she can already make magical decisions on her own. I'm guessing if something, or someone, were to threaten me, she would protect me."

"Regina I've read every book I could find on magical babies," Belle blushed, "You know just in case. And no where does it ever mention the child using magic without the mother having control over it."

"Well," David looked up, "There's never been a child like this before. If the prophecy is correct, she is the most powerful being there has ever been." He smiled at Regina. "And we all know she is going to be the most stubborn."

Everyone laughed at the blatant truth in that statement.

"I am not stubborn!" Regina crossed her arms over her stomach, thus proving David's point. She only succeeded in making everyone laugh even harder.

They parted ways shortly there after. Robin and Regina went to pick up the boys from school, Snow collected Neal from Ruby and David and Emma headed back to the station. Belle closed the shop and then the library. None of them noticed the eyes in the shadows across from the shop.

As they picked the boys up from school, Robin and Regina could tell that Roland was more than excited about his first day of school. He told them story after story about his amazing day as they all headed back to the house.

"Papa?" Roland had stopped mid-story. "Where's Mama? Is she going to have dinner with us?"

Robin looked at Regina. What was he supposed to say? How do you tell a child that only recently got his mother back, that it was all a lie? That his mother had never really been there? That he would never see her again? Especially if she continued to walk around town? Regina took the young boy by the hand and led him to the front steps of the house. She sat down and collected the lad onto her lap.

"Roland, there is something that your dad and I need to tell you. Henry, you too, sit." She waited until Henry had sat down next to her, and Robin squatted down in front of them all. "Roland, your Mama was a very good lady, but something very bad happened to her. A bad witch took her away, and then the witch changed so that she looked exactly like your Mama." Regina had tears in her eyes as she continued, "Then she came back and she loved you, and she took care of you, but now she really is gone. Sweetheart, I'm so sorry, but the lady in town who looks like your Mama, well she's just a wicked witch."

Henry's eyes got bigger and bigger as Regina kept talking, by the time she was done he was shocked. "You mean, Marian wasn't really Marian at all? Then who is she?"

Robin met Regina's eyes over Roland's head and she nodded. He turned to Henry, "It was Zelena the whole time."

"No way! I thought she was dead!"

"We all did. That's what makes this so much harder."

"Papa? If Mama isn't Mama, does that mean I don't have a Mama?" Robin's eyes went misty looking at his young son.

"You have a mom Roland, see," Henry wrapped his arm around Regina's shoulders, "You, me, and our little sister. We have an awesome mom!"

Regina looked up at Robin to see his reaction to Henry's declaration. He smiled at her over the top of the boys. They may not be a traditional family, but they were becoming a family fast, and he loved her for it. So much so that as Roland climbed off of Regina's lap he pulled her up into a tight hug. It was barely more than a whisper in her ear but she heard him plain as day. "I love you, Regina."

-o-o-

The four women waited until darkness had crept over town. Until they were sure that all of their lovely, little heroes were tucked away at home. They expected them to go after the dagger, or after Regina. No one was expecting them to break into the same place twice in one day, but break in they did and they took the one thing Belle was sure to notice was missing.

The black leather cuff that had graced almost every magical arm in town would be gone when Belle entered the shop the next morning. They had taken it. They knew what it would do, they knew he would be powerless, but powerless on this side of the line was better than powerless on the other side.

It took them all of five minutes to break in, take what they needed and get out. It took even less time for them to transport themselves back to the town line. It was there that any of them spoke since they had started their mission.

"All right Dark One, are you ready to join us?"

Rumple stepped out of the shadows and Ursula tossed the cuff over the line. With it firmly on his wrist Rumple walked toward the line. Either this would work or he would be shoved back, there was only one way to find out. With one final step the Dark One crossed the painted red line back into Storybrooke.

-o-o-

Regina gasped and sat upright in bed, pulling her necklace away from her skin. It felt like it was on fire.


	8. Chapter 8-Moving Forward

Chapter 8 – Moving Forward

It had been almost two and a half months since Belle had discovered the cuff was missing. Two and a half months, and nobody had seen a trace of the villains. Regina was starting to get anxious. Why hadn't anything happened yet? What could they possibly be waiting for? She rolled onto her side to face Robin and her arm draped across her growing belly. She knew exactly what they were waiting for.

She was right around six months along and her little princess was getting stronger everyday. She could feel the magic building inside of her all the time. She was pulled out of her musings by a soft, low voice. "Good morning beautiful."

She focused her eyes on Robin's face and smiled, "Good morning." He put his arm around her bringing her even closer, until her body was pressed right up against his. Their baby tucked neatly between them. What started out as a soft, good morning kiss was building as they enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped so tightly together. Regina was sure things wouldn't have stopped at a kiss except the phone on the bedside table rang.

Robin leaned across Regina to answer her Blackberry, looking at the caller ID he sighed. Anyone else and he would have ignored it, gone back to loving his queen, but Emma, Emma he answered. "Yes Sheriff?"

"You're not Regina."

"No, I'm not. Regina is," he paused as Regina started kissing his chest and running her hands over his abs, "she's busy at the moment. What do you need?"

Emma was not fooled in the least by Robin's excuse, "If you two could stop going at it for a minute I need to talk to her. It's about Gold."

Regina could hear every word Emma was saying they were pressed so close together, and when she heard that she immediately pushed Robin off of her and held out her hand for the phone. He watched as she took it and walked away, fishing in the top of her nightgown for the necklace she always wore and holding on to it as she spoke with Emma.

When she got off the phone she turned to look at him, "He's back. Emma's sure of it. Belle reported another break in, and this time Emma couldn't find any magic. Whatever is missing, well, Belle said it would only mean something to Gold. I have to go."

"You don't need to go running down there. Emma said there was no magic, what can you do that she can't?" He knew immediately that he had said the wrong thing. Regina's whole body seemed to shake momentarily as the anger coursed through her. He saw the faint glow of the light magic she used to calm herself when she turned around.

"Just please stay here and get the boys something to eat when they get up." She kissed his cheek as she magicked herself an outfit and headed for the door. "Robin," she turned and threw one of her most regal glares over her shoulder, "never underestimate my abilities to out magic Miss Swan."

Regina was unsurprised to find all three Charmings and Hook in the shop when she arrived. This was a big deal, and more often than not, stopping villains in this town took all of them. "What exactly is missing?" There was no point in beating around the bush, they might as well try and figure this all out as soon as possible.

"Where's Robin?" Belle noted the queen's expression at her question, but didn't back down from her stare. They had accepted him as a part of their hero group and his absence wasn't lost on them.

"At home. We didn't think it was fair to wake the boys. What's missing Mrs. Gold?" No one had addressed Belle as such since she had sent her dear husband over the line. They all waited with bated breath to see how she would react. She didn't take the bait. Belle was in no mood to fight with Regina, there were bigger matters to deal with.

The answer came quietly, and fell like a rock. "Baelfire's shawl."

Emma sucked in a sharp breath and Killian put his arm around her. Regina and Snow exchanged a worried glance. Not only was it a sentimental item for Rumple, it was his talisman. The one item that allowed him to retain his memories upon exiting the town after the first curse. If he needed it now, here in Storybrooke, something even bigger must be in the works.

Regina sent out magical feelers throughout the shop. Emma had been right. The break in was of the old fashioned sort. No magic. Odd, Regina thought. She knew that he used the cuff to get into Storybrooke, but once he was back inside he should have been able to remove it. He should have regained his magic. With or without his magic she still had an edge on him. She had his dagger tucked somewhere near and dear to her heart.

"What are you thinking Regina?" Snow had come up next to her, "What's wrong?"

"Why didn't he use magic?"

"I thought the cuff blocked out a person's magic?" David looked confused.

"It does mate, but I'm with the queen. Why didn't he have one of the witches he's with help him remove it once he was in town?"

Regina rubbed a hand lovingly over her stomach, thinking. If he needed his talisman, and he didn't use magic why would he have waited until now? Unless…

"What if Rumple isn't calling the shots?" They all turned to look at Regina. "I'm serious. If his magic is still bound and honestly just the fact that they have waited this long, leads me to believe that he isn't the one making the big decisions anymore."

"Well we don't honestly know what they are after."

Regina just looked at Charming. He was joking right? There were five villains in town and they had been lying in wait for months. There was only one thing changing around here lately, she looked pointedly down at her stomach. "They just randomly decided to show up right after we find out I'm carrying the most powerful witch anyone has ever seen?"

"Dad, Regina's right. They haven't laid in wait this long if they didn't want that baby. We have to make sure no one gets anywhere near her."

"You are not suggesting I sit on the sidelines all nice and comfortable in my house while you fight these women are you?"

"Regina, Emma has a point." The queen spun around to look her stepdaughter in the eyes, but Snow didn't back down. "Your sister already took one baby to try and get her happy ending. What makes you think she wouldn't want this one? The child with the greatest potential to end all of them?"

Regina's shoulders dropped. They were right. Her former allies turned enemies would want nothing more than to kill her precious princess. She couldn't let anything happen to her, she wouldn't. Regina would give her own life to ensure that her daughter was safe.

Emma could see by the way that Regina had relaxed that they had won. The queen would stay inside, she would stay protected. If not for her own sake then for the sake of the beautiful little life growing inside her. Emma reached out to touch Regina and was almost blinded by the amount of magic coursing through the woman's body. "How are you handling that?" Emma looked at Regina in awe.

"Handling what?" Snow looked confused. She looked back and forth between her daughter and her stepmother, trying to read their faces. She repeated herself with greater force. "Handling what?"

"The magic love," Killian looked at Snow like she was crazy, "can't you feel it? The queen has so much magic it's a wonder she's not shaking."

"Wouldn't be the first time today." They all looked up as Robin, Henry and Roland entered the shop. "I meant to apologize for that by the way." He added to Regina as he wrapped an arm around her. "What's the deal here? Did we figure out what happened?"

As they filled Robin in on what they had decided Regina's eyes wandered around the shop. "Belle?" She interrupted whatever they were saying, "What's that?"

-o-o-

Rumple was alone again. He knew that it was only a matter of time until those witches found him, but it was time he was going to take advantage of. He had broken in to his own shop, and taken the one thing that meant something only to him. Bae's shawl. Belle would notice it was missing, of that he was certain, but he was also certain that Regina would figure out why.

If he was going to make it in this town without his powers he needed something to tie him to the magic. His dagger would have been preferable, but even after watching the dear queen for months he had no idea where she was keeping it. He could feel her power growing though. Her's and the child inside her's.

When a witch is born to a witch the mother's power gets stronger. Regina had already proved she carried the strongest light magic on her own. Now with her darling daughter's powers too he felt that his lovely cohorts had no real chance without him. It was time to prove what he had been saying for months, that they were going to need his Dark Magic to counteract her Light.

He stood watching at the edge of the forest as the towns' darling heroes, the queen included, met in his little shop.

-o-o-

Belle stopped mid sentence and looked at where Regina was pointing. The old wooden rocking horse made her smile. "I think you know exactly what that is Your Majesty."

"Is it really mine?"

"See for yourself." Belle took the queen's hand and led her the boys over to her old rocking horse.

Snow started to follow when Robin grabbed her elbow. He drew her to the side of the group. "I need to ask you something." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a tiny, white box. Inside lay a dazzling diamond and garnet engagement ring. Snow looked up at him with wide eyes. "Snow, as her closest royal relative I'm asking for your permission to ask for Regina's hand." He smiled at her.

Snow quickly shut the box and pushed it back towards him. Ensuring that no one else saw what he had. "Yes, of course you have my permission." She laughed quietly, "We can't have our new princess be a bastard after all! I think there is someone else you need to ask first though." She inclined her head towards where her grandson stood next to Regina.

Now it was Robin's turn to laugh. "Believe me, I asked him first! He asked me what took so long!"

"In that case, welcome to the family!"

They were both still laughing when Regina joined them. "Robin?" She fake pouted at him, knowing she was going to get her way in any case, but it was still fun to make Snow's eyes go wide. Regina never pouted about anything. "Can I have my old rocking horse back?" She saw the mischievous glint in his eye, but she was still shocked by his answer.

"No. I don't think so lovely." Her shocked expression caused him to grin, an earned a laugh from the other three women, "But I think our little bug can." He placed both of his hands on her stomach and kissed her nose. "I'll get it."

As he walked off Regina couldn't help but notice Snow's smile. "What are you grinning about?"

"Nothing."

"Uh, huh…" Snow had never been a decent liar.

-o-o-

"Well dearie didn't you make your presence known?" Rumple spun around when he heard Zelena speak. At least she looked like her right now. She was still going about town looking like Marian. It made sense, how were they going to survive unless someone could get into the stores every once and a while? Still it always made him cautious when she looked like the peasant woman. He never knew what to expect from her.

"What do you want Zelena?"

"Oh I'm just here to collect you. They are none too happy that you escaped, and in the daylight no less." She smiled, "Come along dearie, you're not going to want to miss this."

They arrived back at the cabin to find the other three standing outside waiting for them. "Okay Dark One, we have a deal for you." Maleficent smiled, "We give your magic back, and you allow me to remain in charge. No more running off, no more stealing," she looked at what he was holding, "dirty rags…?" She shook her head, "I expected more of you Rumple."

"Sorry to disappoint you dearie, but this is what I went in after."

"Seriously darling, a bunch of old, ratted cloth?" Cruella scoffed. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with everything. But let's say I make this deal," he turned back to Maleficent, "you are going to need to act soon. I saw the queen, that baby is most likely already stronger than any one of you alone. You're gonna need my help, and you're gonna need it fast."

"Alright Dark One, tonight, once everyone in this town is asleep, we will release your magic. Until then," she looked at all of them in turn, "we are going to need a plan. We are taking back our happy endings. For good." With that the Queen's of Darkness left him alone again.

Well, not really alone. He clutched the shawl to his chest. It was all he had left of Baelfire, and they couldn't make him feel bad about it. He draped the cloth around his neck. He could feel the magic within it. It made him stronger, but he still couldn't get the cuff off on his own.

He knew that Regina would figure out Maleficent was calling the shots. He knew that they were running out of time. The queen was over six months along now, they were going to have to get ready. For that baby was going to be sure to put up a fight.

-o-o-

It was hours later that Robin awoke to the sound of Regina's scream. As he flipped on the light he saw it. The perfectly round burn on her chest where her locket normally laid. He could see the panic in her eyes as she lifted the broken chain to show him the bright glow that was emanating from the locket.

It was barely more than a whisper, but Robin could hear she was terrified, "His magic is back."


	9. Chapter 9-Long Live The Queen

Chapter 9 – Long Live The Queen

"His magic is back." Regina's terrified whisper was enough to set Robin in motion. He pulled her towards him just as the door to their room flew open.

"Mom!" Henry came barreling towards them with Roland just behind.

"Mama!" Roland clambered up onto the bed and into Regina's lap. "Mama, are you ok? Why did you scream?" He looked up at her with his big, dark eyes.

When she shifted Roland on her lap to make room for Henry on the bed he saw it. The burn on her chest. "Mom, your chest?" He pointed at the burn. "What's that from?"

Robin took the locket out of her hand and held it up. It had stopped glowing and had already cooled back down. "It was from this," he answered Henry, "But why did it get so hot in the first place?"

"It's enchanted, it's not a normal locket. Well it is, in the since that you can keep something precious with you all the time, but this locket doesn't contain pictures." She moved her hand over Robin's and when she drew her's away he no longer held a locket. Instead he held Rumple's dagger.

"Mama, what is that?" Roland's eyes had gotten big, he still wasn't used to seeing her do magic.

"It's my grandpa's dagger." Henry looked confused. "You had it in a locket, and it burned you?"

"No, it was the locket. I transformed it into something he would never guess. I kept it somewhere he never would have thought to look."

"In plain sight! Mom, that was genius!"

"Right up until your mother sat up screaming with a burn on her chest." Robin shot Henry what could only be considered a very fatherly look. "Why did it burn you, and why was it glowing?"

"I don't know. But," she looked sheepishly up at Robin, "this isn't the first time."

"What?!"

"Robin, don't yell you will wake up the whole neighborhood." She looked down at Roland who was barely awake in her lap. "Come on boys, back to bed."

"Mama, will you tuck me back in?"

"Of course," she got out of bed and took Roland's hand, "you too Henry!" She called over her shoulder.

Henry looked at Robin, "Don't let her put that thing back around her neck. And find out why it burned her." He was almost begging, he didn't like seeing his mom get hurt.

"I promise Henry."

"I saw you talking to grandma today." He smiled. "Just ask her already." With that he left Robin sitting alone in their bedroom.

Now wasn't the time, he wanted it to be perfect. Romantic. Special. She deserved to have this all done right. She came back in the room moments later and sat down on the edge of the bed. She looked exhausted and scared. He moved so he was sitting behind her, and she leaned back against him.

"I won't turn it back into a necklace, I promise. I'm not getting burned again."

"Did it burn you before? You said it glowed before, did it burn you then?"

"No, but it was hot enough that it woke me up. It was the night Rumple came back into town. The night that his cuff was stolen from the shop. I think it was a warning."

He just sat there listening to her, he knew she would explain.

"The burning, I think it came from her. I think she could feel when he reentered town, he carries a lot of magic and I think she could sense it. She wanted me to know. And then now, well he must have convinced them to give him his magic back. She felt the dagger gain control over him again, and she got scared. I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt me, only to warn me."

"You really think this was her?"

"Oh yeah, watch." She turned so she was facing him, "She listens to me." She smiled and placed both hands on her stomach. "Hey princess, let's show Daddy that you didn't mean to hurt me." Regina could feel it more than see it, because she was watching Robin's face, but she knew that her stomach was glowing.

"Regina, that's amazing!" He placed his hands over hers. "Well done beautiful!" Regina knew he was no longer talking to her. "Try not to hurt Mommy again though okay. I know you got scared, but be gentle next time. Mommy scared Daddy and your brothers." He kissed her stomach and for a brief moment it glowed even brighter than before, and then it went back to normal.

"Does she do that every time you ask?"

"That was the first time I've asked something like that, but she does normally respond to me when I talk to her. She's incredibly smart."

Robin smiled, "She gets that from her Mommy." He kissed Regina once, and then pulled back, "I love you, my queen."

"I know. I love you too, thief."

"What should we do with this?" He reached behind him and picked up the dagger from where he had left it on the bed.

"Here," she took it from him and passed her hand over it once more. This time when she moved her hand away a braided silver and black cuff sat in her palm.

"Regina, I promised Henry I wouldn't let you wear it anymore. He doesn't like seeing you get hurt."

"I know, I promised you I wouldn't wear it again either." She took his arm and slipped the cuff onto it. "That's why you're going to protect it instead."

"You're going to trust a thief with something as important as this?"

Regina laughed, remembering the first time he had asked her that question. With a kiss, she lay back down in bed next to him and replied the exact same way she had then. "You can't steal something that's been given to you."

Robin chuckled at the memory as he reached over and once again turned out the light.

-o-o-

Rumple was relishing in his magic. He knew that he had missed it, but he hadn't realized that he felt as though a piece of himself was missing until it had been returned.

"Alright Rumple, you said that we needed a plan. Do you have one or should we just continue to make this up as we go along?" Zelena was growing impatient. She had already waited months to end her little sister, it was time to get a move on.

"You're talking to the wrong person dearie." He laughed at her expression. "I seem to recall our little deal being that Maleficent was going to be calling the shots."

"Quite right," the blonde witch laughed, "Oh I've come up with a plan. It's just going to take all of us to carry it out."

They all looked at her expectantly, if she really did have a plan now was the time to let them in on it. Cruella gave in first, "Alright darling, just tell us already. What is your daring plan?"

"Well in order to finally get our happy endings the heroes have to loose theirs. That includes Regina, and since it's her child that will be our greatest enemy, we may as well get rid of that threat first."

Ursula laughed, "Why do you think we've just been waiting around for months?" She fixed Maleficent with a piercing look. "It wasn't just to enjoy each other's company, I can assure you of that."

"How _do_ you plan on getting rid of my niece right now?" Zelena asked with genuine curiosity. After all Regina was only six months pregnant. "You can't exactly just kill her when she's not even here yet?"

"Ah you're right, but I can take care of her mother."

Rumple laughed outright. "You really think you can just waltz into town and kidnap the Evil Queen without anyone noticing that you took her? Even you aren't that dimwitted Maleficent. You know it won't ever work."

"But you forget who you're dealing with Dark One. I have cast sleeping curses that have knocked out entire kingdoms for hours. I can do wonders on this tiny town."

Now it was Zelena's turn to laugh. After all, she had made the mistake of underestimating her little sister before. "And what do you think is going to happen when they wake up?"

"Well I imagine the Charming brigade, and Regina's thief will come searching for her. Then when they arrive we can do away with them, leaving the town devoid of all their heroes. Who will be there to provide all of their happy endings then?" She laughed, no heroes meant no happy endings, and no happy endings meant that they had a chance to take what they were after. Their happiness.

"Well then dearie, what do you want us to do?" Rumple smiled at her knowingly.

"Watch and learn." And with that Maleficent was gone. Before them towered the a largest purple dragon any of them had ever seen. With one powerful push she was off in the air and soaring over town.

"What now?" Ursula looked off in the direction Maleficent had just disappeared in.

"I guess now we head into town and pay our lovely Queen a visit."

Maleficent hovered over the town. The lights were out, and for the most part everyone was already asleep. No one would notice the effects of her sleeping curse until it was too late. With a final push of her massive wings her curse rained down on the unsuspecting town.

"Look!" Zelena pointed at the sky. They could see the shimmering effects of the sleeping curse as it covered Storybrooke. The four villains moved in silence to the clearing just beyond the cabin. From there they watched as Maleficent returned.

She touched down softly on the grass and stepped forward out of the smoke as the beautiful, fair haired witch they all knew so well. "All right my dears," she smiled and with a tap of her staff they were all standing on Regina's front lawn, "Let's kidnap a queen."

-o-o-

Regina could feel something was wrong. Robin's breathing had deepened even further next to her, and her body grew even more heavy. Yet, for some reason, her mind was even more alert. Something within her told her to lay still, to pretend to be unconscious. It was her best option.

She kept her eyes closed, but she felt them enter the room. She felt the magic surround her. She could hear them talking.

"Well, well darling you sure did pick a handsome one didn't you?" Cruella! That was the other source of magic she couldn't place before. But now they were in her home, in her bedroom, they were here for her.

She tried to move, but something was holding her down. Whether it was the sleeping curse, or the baby's magic she didn't know, nor did she really care, she just knew she had to fight it. She wouldn't go easily. They weren't going to hurt her little princess.

She felt someone pick her up, but she didn't dare open her eyes. "You used to be more portable." Rumple laughed as he spun around with her in his arms. "Okay dearies, we have the queen. Let's get this over with."

She felt the pull of the magic, then felt it fade away as Rumple carried her into, well somewhere, she was going to have to figure out where she was so she could fight back. He lowered her to a bed, and covered her with a blanket. Even when he was kidnapping her, she couldn't help but think he cared just a little bit. She heard someone else approaching, felt when they slipped something onto her wrist.

"There," Zelena! So they'd been right about that! "She can't use magic now, and neither can my precious niece." Regina could hear the smile in her older sister's voice. She thought they had won. "Now Maleficent should we wake her up?"

"Oh no dear, I don't think that's necessary. Is it, Regina?"

With that she finally opened her eyes, she saw them, the Dark One, the Sea Witch, Cruella, her Wicked sister, and Maleficent, all standing around her bed. All smiling down at her like nothing could ever make them happier. The queen was their prisoner. She saw Ursula's satisfied smirk, Cruella's haughty grin, and Maleficent's blindingly white smile. Rumple looked down at her with almost caring eyes, but it was Zelena that caught her attention. Zelena's murmur that chilled her entire being…

"Long, live the queen…"


	10. Chapter 10-Family Matters

Chapter 10 – Family Matters

"What do you want?"

"What, no hello for your not dead big sister? Shame." She laughed and Maleficent cut in.

"I think you know exactly what we want. Your baby my dear. She is mighty powerful isn't she?" Maleficent reached out to touch Regina's stomach, but Regina shoved her hand away.

"Don't touch her!"

"You thought she was protective of those boys, look at her now darling. Have your ever seen such anger?" Cruella and Ursula laughed.

Regina knew exactly what they were after, they wanted to hurt her baby. What she didn't know was how they planned on doing that. Were they planning on killing them both now? Keeping her locked up here until she gave birth and then killing the baby in front of her? What did they think would cause her the most pain? And why had they waited until now?

All of this was running through her mind at a million miles an hour as she tried to figure out where she was. She couldn't see much laying flat on this bed with them all crowded around her, but she could feel it. It was cold. There was only one source of heat in the room and it seemed to be the fireplace on the opposite wall. The door was down the wall from her feet, and there was a doorway to her right, behind Maleficent. Then it dawned on her, Rumple's cabin. She was in the woods.

She almost laughed before she caught herself. Did they really think that they wouldn't check for her here? That Robin wouldn't come crashing through the woods to find her? But that was just it, they knew he'd come after her, that they all would. She was too important to loose. This was a trap, and she was the bait!

"Bait huh?" She put on her most snarky tone. "That's a little weak isn't it? What were you to scared to face us all in town at once? You had to kidnap a pregnant woman in order to lure the heroes to you? That's cheating don't you think?" She smiled sweetly and moved to sit up.

"I don't think so Regina." Rumple's magic hit her full force, pushing her back down onto the bed. "You're not going anywhere."

"Rumple you honestly don't believe you all can kidnap me and not expect me to have to pee? There is a person sitting on my bladder! Let me up!" She could feel the magic inside of her, both hers and the baby's but she was wearing the cuff. It wouldn't do her any good now, she just had to outsmart them.

"Oh let her go Rumple," to Regina's surprise he let off the magic, "Do you know where the bathroom is?"

Regina just gave her a dark look and stalked off to the bathroom. She needed a plan, she had to make sure the others didn't come running into an ambush. But how? She didn't have magic, not with this thing anyway. She pulled on the cuff on her wrist absentmindedly, she gasped when it came off in her hand.

She wiggled her fingers and watched the sparks dance around the tips. She could still do magic! For some reason the cuff wasn't working on her! She reached down and lovingly rubbed her bump. "Thank you precious." She had to find a way to make sure that they didn't all come charging up here looking for her in the morning, but how was she going to do that? She stopped and listened to what was happening in the other room.

"Why didn't she fall asleep?"

"I don't know. I bet it has something to do with the child though."

"I told you we shouldn't underestimate her."

"It doesn't matter! What matters is that she is here, and while she is here we are going to get all the information we can out of her. When we take away their happy endings I want to know what we are up against."

She heard murmurs of acknowledgment. She had to admit Maleficent had gotten better at controlling a situation. Her memories over took her as she thought back to the first time she had met the monster. No stop! Regina shook her head to clear her thoughts. Now wasn't the time to reminisce, it was the time to get to work. She slipped the cuff back on and tried her magic once more. Her fingers lit up like fireworks. Good, she wasn't defenseless.

"Regina!" She heard Maleficent calling for her, she reentered the main room with her head held high, every bit the queen. Even in her nightgown and pregnant.

"Yes dear?"

"Have a seat." She pointed towards the lone chair in the middle of the room. At least this interrogation didn't involve strapping her to a table like the last one had. She looked around at the villains surrounding her. Her teacher, her one time best friend, her older sister, the sea bitch and the pound puppy. Well this was going to be a long night.

They spent hours trying to get her to talk. To tell them anything about the people she considered her family, Regina never said a word. Finally they had had enough.

Cruella grabbed her hair and forced her to look up at her, "Why won't you talk?"

"She won't talk dearie because she doesn't have proper motivation…" Rumple had reentered the cabin. She had seen him leave a little while ago, but thought nothing of it, until now.

"Mama…?" She heard Roland before she saw him, hiding behind Gold's legs.

"Roland!" She tried to stand up but Cruella was still holding her hair. "Let me go!" She fought the taller woman off and moved towards her son. "Roland! Gold no! He has nothing to do with this!"

Before she could get there Zelena scooped Roland up off the floor, "Mama!" He was crying now and trying to get to her just as hard as she was struggling to reach him.

"Now, now little one don't worry. I'm your Auntie Zelena and you're just fine."

"I want Mama! Why are you hurting Mama?" Zelena stood there and held him as Maleficent forced Regina back down in the chair.

"Okay Regina, we have you, and we have two of your three children. Are you ready to cooperate?"

"Please, don't hurt him…"

"Oh I don't make promises dear, you should know that by now."

"Gold! Please!" Regina was on the verge of begging, on the verge of letting them see her cry, but she knew she couldn't. Not with Roland right there. He was so scared. She had to be brave for him, she had to protect them. Her hand fell to her stomach, she had to protect them both.

-o-o-

Robin had finally slept off the last of the sleeping curse. Before he even opened his eyes he knew something was different. The bed wasn't as warm as it normally was. He reached out a hand towards Regina. His eyes shot open when he found nothing but air. He ran a hand over her side of the bed. Cold. It was cold, wherever she was she'd been gone quite awhile.

He went downstairs and checked the kitchen and her study, he was calling her name as he climbed the stairs back towards their room. Not caring if he woke the boys up or not. "Regina! Regina, where are you?"

Henry came out into the hallway and looked at Robin. "Why are you yelling? It's early…"

"I can't find your mother, her side of the bed was cold, and her phone is still there. She's just gone!"

"What? She can't just be gone! Is her car here?"

"Yes!" Robin opened the door to Roland's room, "No!"

"What, what is it?" Henry came rushing across the hall. "He's gone too…"

Robin immediately switched gears, he looked at Henry, "Get dressed and call Emma tell her we are on our way."

Five minutes later they were in Regina's Mercedes headed for the Charming's loft. As they pulled up out front they saw Hook heading for the door. Together the three of them ran up the stairs and pounded on the door.

"They are gone!" Henry shouted when his grandfather opened the door. Emma and Snow were standing in the kitchen and they exchanged a confused look.

"Who's gone kid?"

"My mom and Roland! We woke up and they are just gone! We can't find them anywhere!"

"Wait, slow down. Regina and Roland are both missing at six thirty in the morning? That doesn't sound like Regina?"

"It's not." Robin ran his hand over his face, and that's when he saw the cuff that Regina had put there last night. He gasped. "It was Rumple! Or at least one of those evil villains!"

"The burn! Did Mom explain to you what was going on after Roland and I went back to bed?"

"Yeah," Robin wrapped an arm around Henry's shoulders, "yeah she did." He told them everything that Regina had told him last night. He left out the part about the baby glowing, but he did tell them about about the burn and how Regina thought it was a warning that Gold had gotten his powers back. When he finished everyone just stared at him. Finally Emma spoke up.

"Well, where is the dagger now if she's not wearing it?"

Robin held out his arm, "I'm wearing it." He took the cuff off and handed it to Emma. "Can you turn it back? Can it help us find them?"

Emma ran her hand over the cuff and when she pulled away she was holding the dagger. She had been learning things from Regina's lessons after all. She handed the dagger back to Robin.

"She gave it to you to protect, that means it's yours." She smiled at him, she was happy for Regina, Robin was a perfect match for the hot headed queen. "You have power over the Dark One."

"I don't think he needs to know that. Not yet anyway. I have to find my family, and if those witches find out that we are controlling the Dark One, well, I just have to find my family."

"Alright mate," Hook moved towards the door, "let's go."

The Charmings all gathered their various weapons and moved towards the door. "Neal!" Snow had almost forgotten about the baby sleeping peacefully in the crib. "We can't just leave him here!"

David went to scoop up the little prince, "We can take him to Belle."

"No, I'm going to need your help mate," Robin turned, "Henry, you and your uncle go and wait this out with Belle." Henry opened his mouth to protest but Robin stopped him. "I've already got one son in the hands of these monsters, not to mention my daughter and the woman I love. You are staying here, where I know you are safe. Do you understand me?"

Instead of the fight Robin was expecting Henry simply put his arms around him. "Go get 'em Dad." He pulled back and took Neal from his grandfather. With a kiss to Emma's cheek he walked past them all and headed for Belle's.

Robin stood there dumbfounded, "Did he just? I mean, did anybody else?" He couldn't even get the words out.

Emma smiled and touched Robin's shoulder, "Yeah he did. Come on, let's go get the rest of your family back."

-o-o-

They made their way up to the cabin in silence. Even Killian had somehow perfected the art of being quiet in the woods. Emma shot some magic at the cabin, not enough that those inside would notice, but enough to hear what was going on in there. They could hear Roland's sobs and they could hear Zelena comforting him. They could hear Ursula and Cruella laughing as Regina cried out. But most of all they could hear Rumple and Maleficent, and the chilling screams that were coming from Regina whenever they stopped talking.

It was making Robin's blood boil. That was his family. His son, his daughter, his soulmate and they were hurting them. All of them. Why didn't Regina fight back? He heard her scream again. What were they doing that was causing her to scream?

"Mama!" They all turned to look at Robin when they heard Roland shout. "Mama wake up!" There were no more screams, only the sound of Roland crying and Zelena comforting him.

"Let her be." Maleficent seemed to have had enough for now. "Let her rest, we can continue later on. After all the sun is just coming up. I'd bet that her thief hasn't even noticed they are missing yet."

Cruella spoke up, "Really Rumple, how did you know bringing the boy here would help? She still hasn't told us everything, but she's told us way more than she would have before."

"That's the thing about being a parent dearie, you will do anything in the world, to protect your child. And that woman. Well, she has one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen. She loves that boy like he was her own, and I'm willing to bet she will protect him as such."

"You're not actually going to hurt the child Rumple?" Even for villains that was low, and Maleficent was going to call him on it.

"No, no, of course not, but she doesn't know that. And when she's not paying attention, when she's too worried about the boy to watch out for the child inside of her, well that's when we will take care of it."

"No…" Snow's hand on Robin's arm was the only thing stopping him from charging into that cabin bow at the ready. She put a finger to her lips and led them all away from the cabin. When they came to the clearing they all let out a breath.

"Okay," Emma was ready, "first things first. We get Roland out of there. They are going to try and use him against her. Then we try and take them out. One at a time."

"Why should we do that? Why don't we just have Rumple take them all out? I mean technically he is on our side, even if he doesn't know it."

"Because that'll never work. They will take him out, and all together they are extremely powerful mate." Hook didn't look convinced that anything was going to work. "We need a better plan. One that will separate them." He looked up at Emma, "I know how to give the sea witch her happy ending."

"What? How?"

"I took it in the first place. Well I took them actually." From one of his pockets he pulled a leather lace, and from it hung four miniature tentacles.

"What are those?"

"Four of the sea witches tentacles. Four of her gifts." He pushed each one to the side as he counted them off, "Her siren's voice, her control of the sea, her ability to love," he held up the final tentacle, "and her immortality." Maybe if we give them back, give her her happy ending, she will back down. Leaving us one less villain to face."

"It's worth a shot. How are you going to contact her?"

"I'm a pirate mate," he smiled at the Prince, "I have my ways."

"Okay, then go back to town, have Tink and the other fairies help you, whatever you need. Just get that sea creature out of here."

"On it." And with that Killian disappeared back in the direction of town.

"Your father and I will take Cruella. I know what she wants." They all looked at Snow with surprise. "Regina isn't the only evil I've ever faced." She shrugged. "That leaves you two with Maleficent and Zelena. Can you handle that?"

Emma and Robin exchanged a very determined look, and Robin nodded to Snow. "Thank you."

"Of course, what is family for?" The Charmings left the same way Killian had. What was left was up to them. They moved back towards the cabin. They watched as first Ursula made an excuse and left, with Cruella following shortly after. Whatever Hook and her parents were doing, Emma knew it was working.

She looked over at Robin, who was clutching Rumple's dagger. He looked like someone had torn his heart out and was dangling it just out of his reach. She touch his shoulder. "Are you ready?"

He turned to look at her, straight in the eyes, "As I'll ever be."


	11. Chapter 11-Changing The Game

Chapter 11 – Changing the Game

**Ok lovelies, this was supposed to be a filler chapter to keep the story moving and it ended up being the longest chapter yet! I took some liberties in this chapter so I hope you all will just roll with me. I have a plan I promise! **

-o-o-

Hook rushed into the diner as soon as he got back to town. He knew he wasn't going to be able to finish this on his own. This was going to require magic, and right now the only people that weren't busy rescuing or torturing the queen, that could help him, were the fairies. He figured Tink would be here, she didn't belong in the abbey with the rest of the fairies and she was awfully fond of Granny's coffee.

He saw her sitting at the counter and he made his way over to her. "Tink," she turned when he touched her arm with his hook, "I need your help." She must have seen the look in his eyes when he asked, because she followed him out of the diner without a word. They were halfway to the docks before she spoke to him.

"Hook, what's going on? Where are we going?" He didn't answer her until they were standing on the pier.

"It's the queen, they took her, and now we have to help get her back. I need your help, I need your magic." He was worried, she could hear it in his voice. For as much as he was a pirate, he had changed, he truly cared for the others in this town.

"Hook you're not making any sense. What do you mean they took the queen? Who took her? What's going on? Where is everyone else?"

"The villains, the villains took Regina. The Dark One, and the Dragon Mistress, the Sea Witch and that De Vil woman. Not too mention the queen's bloody sister is back from the dead. They captured her, and Robin's young lad, last night and are holding them in Gold's cabin in the woods. Hood and Henry woke us all up early to find them and now we have to fight together to get them back. Will you help her or not?"

"Of course I'll help her, she's my friend! But what do you need me for, and why are we at the docks not in the woods?"

"We decided to try and separate them. We think if we can give them the things they are after then they will stop their pursuit to kill the queen, or more specifically the new princess. I know what Ursula wants. I took it from her to begin with." He held up the tentacles to show Tink.

"Are those hers?" Tink took the lace from Hook. "What do you want me to do?"

"Can you give them back to her? Can you reattach them, and give her back her gifts?"

"Umm, I think so. How are you going to get her here though? If she's hell bent on torturing the queen why would she leave to come and meet us?"

"Because she knows what I have to offer her." He flashed her a dashing smile and bent to pick up the large seashell that was sitting on the pier. "Just because she no longer lives in the sea doesn't mean that the sea has stopped living within her." He grinned once more as he blew through the shell.

-o-o-

"Snow!" Charming was getting angry, she could tell, but in that moment she really didn't care. She was trying to figure out how to give Cruella what she wanted, it wasn't going to be easy. She was going to have to reveal their secret. The secret that she had hid from her stepmother, the secret her father had no idea that she knew. The only secret she had ever been able to keep.

"Snow!" He grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn and face him. "What do you know about Cruella? What does she want?"

"Everything my father took away from her!" Charming's face went funny. That was not what he was expecting.

"What are you talking about? First Cora, then Regina and now Cruella?" He shook his head, so much for a good and peaceful King. Leopold had quite the list of evil women attached to him.

She looked up at him with puppy dogs eyes, "They weren't romantically involved," she sighed. "She is my aunt."

"What?"

"I didn't know, at least not until I was older and dealing with Regina on my own. I had heard about this duchess that supposedly hated the queen as much as I did. I went to her and tried to ask for her help with killing the queen. It turned out it wasn't Regina she hated, it was my father. He had her banished from the castle when she refused to acknowledge him as King. She never forgave him, she wanted all the wealth and riches of being royalty, but none of the responsibility."

"And her magic? Where did that come from?"

"If I had to guess I'd say Rumple had something to do with that. I don't know for sure though. I only know that it made her an even worse person than she already was."

"So she's your aunt, your evil aunt, and she wants her royal life back. How are we going to give her her happy ending?"

"Remember when you tried to convince me I held Excalibur? Well there is another legend, this one is of a Golden Fleece. The Fleece is said to be a symbol of wealth and kingship. If we can find it and give it to her, maybe she won't feel so discarded. Maybe she will be good again."

"Snow, just because somehow your plan to find Regina's goodness worked, after thirty years of trying. Doesn't mean that Cruella can be redeemed too."

She turned and started walking away from him again. In a move that reminded him all too much of the Evil Queen, she turned over her shoulder to snap at him, "And just why not?"

Charming shook his head as he watched his wife walk away, sometimes he had to wonder just how much Snow had learned from Regina all those years ago. They didn't speak again until they reached Gold's shop.

"There." Charming pointed at the Fleece through the window into the back room. It was draped over what looked like an old pirate's chest. "How did you know that he had it?"

Snow just smiled, "I remembered seeing it before." He didn't believe her, there was something else she was still hiding, but now wasn't the time to bring it up. Not when Regina's, and the baby's, life hung in the balance. "Now," Snow fished her phone out of her pocket and sent a short text message, "now we wait."

-o-o-

At the sound of the conch shell Ursula sat straight up in her chair. Everyone else was either still asleep, or hadn't noticed it. She shook it off, it was impossible, she had been banished from the sea. It shouldn't be calling to her now. She closed her eyes and tried to relax back down into her chair. It sounded again.

This time she was all the way to her feet before she even knew what was happening. She looked over at the bed by the wall where they had laid Regina. She was still out cold, the boy asleep right next to her. Zelena and Maleficent sat next to the bed, and Cruella and Rumple were both on the couch. He looked up when she stood so suddenly.

She shook her head and waved him off, she was going to work this out on her own. She let the third blast of the shell over take her as she made her way out of the cabin. Without knowing where she was going she let the magic pull her deeper and she dissolved into thin air. When she opened her eyes she took in her surroundings. The docks were much louder, and much brighter than the forest had been, she wasn't ready.

"Ursula…" She heard him before she saw him. Hook. Once again she must face the Dread Pirate Jones. What more he could possibly want her from she had no idea. He had already taken everything away from her.

"Captain," she addressed him formally. "And what have we here," she looked Tink up and down, "a pixie?"

Tink opened her mouth to comment back, but Hook cut her off. "She's a fairy, one of the best ones, and she's here to help, so if I was you I would stop insulting her and pay attention." He was almost growling at her. "We know you took the queen, and we know you took Roland, we want to make a deal to help get them back."

"I think you called the wrong villain, I'm not in the business of making deals Hook. Especially not with you." She sneered at him before continuing, "You have nothing I want anyway. What makes you think a deal would be so easily struck?"

"The fact that you're here means somewhere in there, there is a piece of you that longs to be a part of that world again." He threw on a dashing smile, "And I think you know exactly what I have to offer." He took the leather lace back from Tink and held it in front of her.

Ursula gasped. If there was one thing she had been sure of all these years, it was that Hook had taken away her happy ending forever. Now here he was dangling it right in front of her, just out of reach. "You still have them!"

"Of course I still have them. You've known a good many pirates in your time. You should have expected me to keep a prize like this. Now can we discuss our deal?"

"What do you expect, me to want to hold on to pieces of something I can never have again? That's just cruel Captain."

"Well, that's where you're wrong." Tink stepped forward and took the tentacles from Killian. "See that's the whole reason I'm here. I'm a fairy, and you know what fairies do? We give second chances, and try to bring about happy endings." She dared to take another step closer to the sea witch. "I was willing to help Regina once, and I'm willing to help you too, but you're going to have to give us something in return. Your assistance in saving Regina."

Ursula looked longingly at her gifts hanging from the fairy's hands. Maybe they were telling the truth, maybe she could be happy, but she wasn't going to risk everything for it. No, she had made her decision. "Okay, here's my bargain. I won't fight against them, they are my friends, evil or not, so how's this? I will tell you every detail of their plan, everything that Regina has given them, everything else they want to know, and what they really plan on doing with that baby. In exchange I get back what is rightfully mine, and I return to the sea. I fight neither for nor against you. I simply remove myself from the equation."

Well, it wasn't exactly what he had wanted, he wanted her magic on their side, but in a situation like this information could be power. He held out his good hand and she took it. "Deal."

-o-o-

Ursula had walked out of the cabin without so much as a word. Cruella and Maleficent exchanged a nervous glance, and Rumple made to stand up and follow her. "No," she placed a hand on his arm, "I'll go."

Cruella followed Ursula outside just in time to see her disappear in a cloud of smoke. Well that's just wonderful, how was she supposed to find out what was going on now. She reached into her pocket as she felt her cell phone buzz. Who could possibly be contacting her now? She looked at the screen, she didn't recognize the number, but based on the message she had one guess as to who had sent it. She smiled a little bit as she headed for town. What could that darling niece of hers possibly have that she thought she would like better than to be rid of the lovely little queen?

She saw them before they saw her and she paused a moment to study them. The girl looked nothing like her father, or Eva. Truth be told, from everything Rumple had told them about Snow, it seemed she was more like Regina in spirit than either one of her biological parents. Oh well, that didn't matter so much. Cruella knew she was in for the hope speech of her life, after all, this wasn't the first time she had been called to make a deal with Snow White.

_ Cruella stormed through the manor. Who could possibly be calling on her way out here. No one even seemed to remember she existed. She was distracted by her own pity as she opened the door. When she looked up she laughed. "Why, if it isn't the precious princess Snow White, what do you want darling?"_

_ Snow stood there open mouthed staring at the woman. "How do you know who I am?" _

_ "Oh I know all about you my darling. Now, why are you here?" _

_ "Well, the queen, she wants me dead. She wants to keep my throne for herself, and I had heard that you hated her just as much as I do for what she did to my father. I was wondering if you could help me somehow?"_

_ "Help you? You can't be serious? You've got it all wrong dear. I don't hate the queen, in fact I admire her. She was the only one brave enough to do away with my brother. Oh, no darling, I won't be helping you kill the queen. If I can't have the throne, neither should you."_

_ "What? Your brother? What are you talking about?"_

_ "He never even told you did he? Ha, of course not! You see darling, I'm your aunt, and this new sister-in-law of mine is so much more fun. I'm rather fond of her. So no, I won't be helping you take back something I was banished from. Enjoy loosing that battle on your own!" _

_ With that she had shut the door in her niece's face and laughed. If she couldn't have the throne at least now someone with power did. And she had told the girl the truth, when the queen had killed her brother she had gained Cruella's admiration._

Cruella frowned at the memory of telling Snow White she had admired Regina. So much had changed since then, and yet she was exactly where she had always been. On the sidelines, cast aside and forgotten about. Not anymore, this time she would get her happy ending.

Snow turned and saw Cruella standing there. "Aunt Eleanor." She nodded in the older woman's direction. "I see you got my message."

"No one calls me Eleanor, especially not you, and I haven't ever been your aunt, what makes you think you have the right to call me that?"

"Oh I have every right. You are my aunt, and you have my stepmother, and I want her back."

"I seem to recall a time when you would have done anything to be rid of her. Had a change of heart have we darling?"

"Yes, and so has she. She's come a long way, she's good again. If you help us, then one day, you may just be good again too."

"What makes you think that I would just give up everything and join your little band of heroes? Why would I help to free my not-so-evil-anymore sister-in-law from the Dark One? What could you possibly give me to make up for all of the things that our family did to me?"

"Just that. Let you be a part of this family again. That's what you really want isn't it? A chance to be royalty? To have all the wealth and riches and lavish life that you lost before? We," she nodded towards Charming and herself, "can give you that. All you have to do is help us save Regina and Roland, and that baby."

"You wouldn't really just welcome me back with open arms. No one else even remembers that we are related. I know your stepmother was never told, otherwise she would have said something. Ha, and I'm pretty sure that Maleficent and Zelena would both stand in the way. They both seem to have an even bigger hatred for Regina than I do. Who knows? All I know is that you haven't come close to convincing me to switch sides. In our world blood means everything, and yet nothing at all. You shouldn't rely on it here." Cruella was annoyed with Snow, not only had the girl called her Eleanor, which she hated, only Leopold had ever called her that, but she seemed to think that being family would mean something after all this time.

Snow stared at Cruella. She had known this wasn't going to be an easy fight, but she thought offering her a place in their family might have softened her up a bit. It turns out it had the opposite effect. Now what? She turned to Charming for help, and he seemed to be reading her mind.

"Alright Cruella look, Leopold may not have been a good brother to you, but he was a good father to Snow, and a good King for the realm. Even you have to admit that much. I don't know why you hate Regina so much,"

Snow butted in, "She didn't used too." Charming shot her a warning look.

"But I get the feeling it has something to do with her crown. Well guess what, I have a crown too. One I never wanted and one I wasn't born into. It's not all it's cracked up to be. You don't want to be the leader, the ruler, you just want the lavish lifestyle. Look at this." He held out the Golden Fleece. "Know what this is?"

"The Golden Fleece! That's impossible, it's only a legend!"

David laughed, "In this world aren't we all?"

His comment got a smirk out of Cruella. He was right, in this world they were all just characters in a story. "Alright Charming, what exactly is your so called deal?"

"You tell us everything you know, and you help us get them back safe and sound. You do exactly what Regina did and work towards redeeming yourself. In exchange you get this," he indicated the a Golden Fleece on his arm, "and you take your rightful place in our family. You don't have to be alone anymore. You can choose to be good."

Snow smiled at her, and the prince looked like he was trying really hard. Maybe they were being honest, maybe they could let her try. Did she want to try? Cruella looked at herself, and her actions. She didn't want to hurt a baby if she didn't have to. She didn't want to be a monster, she wasn't like Zelena or Maleficent. She was nothing compared to the Dark One. She looked up and met Snow's eyes. "Alright." She shook her head. "Alright, I'll join you instead."

"Good!" They looked up to see Killian and Tink making their way towards them. "We are going to need you to confirm everything Ursula just told us."

Snow looked behind him, "Where is she?"

Tink smiled, "I returned her gifts, and she returned to the sea. She's happy."

"Wonderful!"

"So, you got Ursula to leave them too, that's brilliant darling!"

"So you're going to help us lass?" Hook looked at Cruella expectantly. "Let's have it then. What's their plan?"

Cruella told them everything she knew. That they were torturing the queen for information. To find out how she had managed to find happiness. Then they planned on doing away with her, and with the princess. The princess was the threat to them all. Rumple had told them they could never be happy if she was born a hero, but now things were different. Ursula was already happy, she was starting to think maybe being happy was possible. She smiled as she finished telling them everything. She took Snow's hand and looked her in the eyes. "Now this he'll never see coming."

"What's that?"

"You, me, all of us," she gestured to the whole group of them, "we are going to work together darling, and to the Dark One this is all just a rather large game. We are breaking the rules, switching up the players," she laughed, "we are changing his game."


	12. Chapter 12-Saved And Redeemed

Chapter 12 – Saved and Redeemed

"As I'll ever be."

Robin and Emma headed for the cabin. He was still holding the dagger. Ready to use it to make Rumple side with them, to make him protect Regina and Roland instead of harming them. They had seen both Ursula and Cruella leave and neither had returned. Inside they still had to face both Maleficent and Zelena. Robin glanced over at Emma as they moved forward. He hoped her magic was strong enough to help them.

They had the advantage here, the villains had no idea they were coming. They burst through the door to three surprised faces. "Papa!" When the door had flown open it had jolted Roland awake from where he lay next to an unconscious Regina. "Emma! Look out!"

Emma turned in time to shield both her and Robin from Maleficent's magic. Zelena had stood from her place next to the bed and picked up Roland. She knew that Emma wouldn't fire on her if she was holding the little boy. "Where's Rumple?" Emma didn't like not knowing the entire situation.

"Right behind you dearie. Now what have we here? The Savior and the Thief come to rescue the Queen? Oh, too bad." He looked at Emma, "Now your son won't have either mother." Emma made to turn on him, but she was still holding Maleficent at bay.

"Robin! A little help here?!" Her voice snapped Robin back into his body, he had been staring at Regina's unmoving form, and his son clutched in the Wicked Witch's grasped.

"Rumplestiltskin! Stop!" He held up the dagger and Rumple froze. "Do something about these witches. Stop their magic." Rumple looked furious, so Regina had given his dagger to her precious thief. That would explain why he hadn't been able to find it when he went back for the boy. With an apologetic look at Maleficent and Zelena he waved his hands and they both collapsed to the floor.

Emma let out a sigh as she let her magic go, no longer needing it to protect them. She moved to where Roland had landed on top of Zelena, "Are you alright big guy?"

He nodded and crawled into her arms. "But Mama's not. Papa you have to save her!"

Robin turned on Rumple, "What have you done to her?"

"We simply asked her some questions. It's not my fault she wasn't very generous with her information." He smirked at Robin, causing the younger man to step forward.

"You will fix her." He pushed the knife out towards Rumple. "Now!"

"I can't, there is nothing magically wrong with her. This is purely a physical response to the torture, she should wake up eventually."

"You tortured her!?" Emma had always known Rumple was a monster, but this was extreme. "Rumple she is pregnant! How could you?"

"Because dearie, that baby will ruin everything! She is the most powerful being to ever have been born, and raised among you heroes she will be dangerous. We couldn't have that! Not when we want everything!" He took a step towards where Emma and Roland were sitting next to Regina's bed.

"Oh no you don't." Robin got in between them. "Get out of my sight." As soon as the command left Robin's lips Rumple disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Robin moved towards Regina and Roland lunged for his father. Robin scooped him up and looked at Emma. She was running a hand over Regina, using her magic to help and heal the queen's body.

She looked up at Robin, "As far as I can tell they are both alright. There are no major injuries and her magic is intact. She put a shield around the baby, nothing they did effected her at all. I don't know how she kept the shield up though, she had this on her wrist." Emma held up the black leather cuff. "She shouldn't have been able to wield magic while she had this on, but somehow she did."

"Or the baby did." Emma looked from Robin to Regina and back again. She hadn't thought about that. Maybe the baby was blocking out the effects of the cuff. They would have to ask Regina when she woke up. "She's strong. She has strong magic. Regina showed me last night. I'm willing to bet she protected herself, and that she's the one that knocked Regina out. She's clever, like her mother." A half hearted smile danced at the corners of his mouth.

"I think we should get her to Whale, just to make sure that everything is okay." Robin nodded and moved towards Regina as the door burst open again. Roland shrieked and hid behind Emma, as the sheriff drew her gun. "Cruella, what do you want?"

"It's okay, it's okay! She's with us!" Snow came through the door as Emma lowered her weapon.

"What do you mean she's with you?" Robin positioned himself between Regina's unconscious form and Cruella. "What's going on here?"

"What she means is I'm switching teams. I'm here to help. I think the sheriff is right, we should get her to the hospital. It will be easier to protect her there." Robin didn't look like he was in any state to believe Cruella was there to help them.

"Why would you switch teams in the middle of a fight?" Emma was siding with Robin, they were missing something. There was no way Cruella would just start wanting to help them. She rounded on her parents, "What is going on here?"

"What's going on here is that your mother seemed to learn her manipulation skills from her stepmother. She's awfully convincing when she wants to be, and she made me realize that familial ties really are important." She looked from Emma to Snow and then finally settled on Regina. "Even if they've been ignored for forty years."

"Familial ties? What are you carrying on about?"

"Robin, she's my father's sister. Which makes her my aunt and Regina's sister-in-law."

Emma couldn't help it, she started laughing. She looked from her mother to Regina and back at Cruella, "Do we have anymore surprise family members I should know about or have we covered them all yet?" She let her gaze sweep from her family to Regina's and then to the two witches out cold on the floor. "Okay, we need to get her out of here and to the hospital. Now before they wake up. Mom, Dad, go get Henry, Neal and Belle, and meet us at the hospital. Cruella, you and Tink and I will set up a barrier spell around the hospital to keep everyone safe. Roland," she held out her hand for the little boy. "I want you to hold on to Killian for me okay?"

"What about Papa?"

"Your Papa is going to hold on to your Mama and your sister, alright?" The boy nodded and moved to hold the pirate's hand.

"We will meet you there." David and Snow made their way out of the cabin and headed for Belle's. Robin grabbed the dagger and gently picked Regina up off the bed. Once she was settled in his arms he nodded to Emma, and in a cloud of white smoke they all arrived in the hospital lobby.

"We need some help over here!" Hook called out as he picked up Roland. And moved to Robin's side. Together they carried the queen and her littlest knight to the emergency bay. Emma turned to face Tink and Cruella, "Okay what we did to keep Zelena out when Neal was being born wasn't enough. We have to do something stronger. Something they can't break."

"Blood magic!" Tink laughed. "Use blood magic. You two share common blood, it will make it that much stronger, then I'll seal it with fairy magic and that should keep them busy for a good long while."

Cruella shrugged, "It's worth a shot. I promise there is no blood shared between any of the three of them and us. I think I was the last surprise."

Emma laughed as she raised her hands to start sealing off the hospital. "I sure hope so."

-o-o-

Maleficent woke up to find herself and Zelena on the floor of the cabin. Everyone else was gone. No sign of Rumple, or the other two, and those damn heroes had stolen Regina back. She got to her feet and made her way over to Zelena. "Get up!"

Zelena rolled onto her side and then stood up. "What happened? Where is everyone?"

"The thief had the dagger, he told Rumple to stop our magic, and that's all I remember. Everything goes black. Either Rumple knocked us out or the Savior did."

Zelena was still rubbing her head, "It was Rumple, this isn't the first time he's done something like that to me. But where is he? You would think he would have been here still. Unless they sent him somewhere. I don't think they would have thought of that, but it's a possibility."

"It's more likely that they told him to leave, and so he had to leave the area. He will be back. Until then, lets try and find out what happened to Ursula and Cruella, and then try and find out where they took Regina."

"Well I'd imagine they took Regina to the hospital to have her checked out. They are surprisingly reliant on that place for healing." She laughed at the memory of taking them all out and stealing the baby. "Yes, I'm certain that's where they took her. As for the other two, who knows. I wonder how long we've been out?"

"Oh not long dearies." They both jumped at Rumple's voice. "Just long enough to let our little heroes escape." Maleficent opened her mouth to protest. "No, no, shut up." She closed her mouth obediently. "You had a chance to lead and that didn't work out, they got them back. Your time is over, I'm in charge again, starting now." He looked around. "Where are the other two? I thought that they would have been back by now?"

He checked his watch and then sent out a jolt of magic. The two witches watched as he looked first in one direction and then in the other. "They are changing the game. No one changes the game without my say so dearies. No one!" He stormed out the front door of the cabin, and with one quick glance at each other they followed him out into the morning.

Rumple magically moved them all to the docks. "Ursula!" He bellowed out towards the sea. When no response came he shouted again. "Ursula, what have you done? Cruella's magic has blocked me out and a trace on yours led here! What is going on?" The two witches behind him looked on in amazement as the water started to ripple and shift. Zelena gasped audibly when Ursula emerged from the water.

Her magic was back in full force, Tink really had returned her gifts and she was every bit the goddess of the legends. "What do you want Dark One?"

"You can't just crawl back in the sea and leave us alone dearie! What ever have you done?"

"I did nothing, I simply made a deal with their lovely captain and a certain green fairy. I received what was rightfully mine and they got what they wanted. Part of the deal was that I rejoin this," she motioned to the sea flowing around her, "world, and stay out of theirs. It seemed like a small price to pay to have my happiness restored."

"Your happiness? You have got to be joking? You sound like Regina, 'If you choose to be good then happiness will come.' I don't buy it." Maleficent turned up her nose at the Sea Witch. "What did you give them that was so precious they gave you your gifts back?"

"Why, everything…" And with a smile Ursula turned and sank back into the depths of the sea. Leaving the three remaining villains standing on the docks in shock.

"Everything? What does she mean, everything? If she really did spill all of our secrets, all of our plans, then what are we to do?" Zelena couldn't keep the nervous edge out of her voice. "Why would she do that? Why would she betray us?"

Rumple didn't much care why she had done what she had done, he cared how he was going to fix the problem. That's what this had caused, a problem, and after hearing what Ursula had said, he had a pretty good idea of where Cruella was. He turned and stormed off in the direction of town. Maleficent and Zelena rushed to catch up with him.

"Where are we going Dark One?" Neither of them dared ask after Cruella, they could tell that Rumple was angrier than he had been before. When he didn't answer her Maleficent dared to step in his path. "Rumple you are going to need to tell us where we are going so we know what to prepare for. Hey!" When he finally looked in her eyes she saw it, the light that had shown with his desire for a happy ending was going out. "Rumple," she touched his shoulder, "we aren't going anywhere. I don't care what Cruella or that Sea Witch decided, the only way for us to be happy is that getting rid of their precious princess."

Rumple looked from Maleficent to Zelena and a devilish grin appeared on his face. "Well alright then dearies, prepare yourselves and lets go finish what we started."

-o-o-

Robin sat with his head on one side of the hospital bed and Henry was asleep in a chair on the other. Neither one of them had attempted to move Roland from where he was sleeping with his head on Regina's chest. They had all fallen asleep as soon as Whale had allowed them in the room with Regina.

Gold had told the truth, physically she was fine, and Emma's theory about the baby was correct. Somehow, someway, Regina had protected her. They had had Whale look at Roland as well, but other than being a tired, little boy he was fine. Emma, Cruella and Tink had secured the hospital as soon as David and Snow had arrived with Belle and the boys. All that they could do now was wait. Wait for Regina to wake up.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the queen opened her eyes. She took in her surroundings and she began to relax. She smiled at the sight of her three favorite boys all gathered around her, and laughed when the baby did, what Regina could only guess was a backflip, at the fact that her mother was awake. Her laugh woke Robin from his position on her left and she reached up to run her hand over his cheek.

"Regina! You're awake!" He moved and kissed the crown of her head before sitting beside her on the bed.

"Ssshh," she admonished lightly, "don't wake them!" They both looked at the two boys sleeping one on their mother, and the other as close as he could get. She looked up at Robin to see the tears he was trying so hard to contain start to break free. She grinned. "Why are you crying?"

"I thought I was going to lose you, all three of you. I was so scared, Regina."

"Well, I am the most resilient," she turned her chin and caught his lips in a soft kiss, "and I promise you I'm not going anywhere."

He chuckled. "Oh yeah? You may just have to prove that." She raised an eyebrow at him and he continued. "I was going to wait to do this. Find the perfect moment, say just the right things, but right here, right now, with you. This is our moment." He pulled the little white box from his pocket and flipped it open so she could see inside.

She gasped, "Oh, Robin.."

But her cut her off, "Regina, let me get this out." He laughed, "I love you, and I love our children, and I want us to be a family. A real family, no matter how complicated and messy and absolutely crazy it is. I want you, all of you, the light and the dark, the good and the bad. I want to help you raise our children, I want to fight all of our battles side by side. I want to grow old together surrounded by our love and our family. I want to make an honest woman out of you Your Majesty. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

By the time he got done she was crying. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she leaned over and kissed him, just a little harder than she had a moment ago. When they broke apart she was smiling. "I'll take that as a yes then?"

She laughed and nodded, "Yes, of course! Yes!" He kissed her again as he took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her hand. Light flooded out of Regina as the baby gave her approval of her parent's happiness, but their moment was short lived. They all felt the first blow, as the entire hospital shook.

The villains were back, and they were ready for round two.


	13. Chapter 13-Strength

Chapter 13 – Strength

The whole hospital shook as the magic struck the barrier. Emma, Cruella and Tink exchanged a nervous glance as they each summoned their magic back to them. This wasn't going to be easy, the villains were strong, and they didn't have to play by the same rules. The building shook again as they shot dark magic at the blood barrier.

"What was that?" The shudder of the infrastructure had woken the boys. "Mom," Henry looked at her with wide eyes, "you're awake!"

"Yes, and I'm fine Henry. In fact, I need to go help." She made to get out of the bed, but Robin's hand caught her shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going?" He looked like he was about to panic. "You were just unconscious for a number of hours and you think I'm going to let you just get out of bed and go help fight the people that put you in that state?"

"Let me? Let me? You don't let me do anything! I may have agreed to be your wife but that does not give you the right to tell me what I can and cannot do Robin!" She got out of the bed and headed for the hall.

When Robin went to follow her Henry put himself in the way. "Let her go, let me talk to her, she will see reason. If only for the sake of the baby." He went out to follow his mom, but he poked his head back in the door, "Oh, and Dad, Leopold and Cora both used to try and tell her what to do. She doesn't handle that very well."

Robin nodded and let Henry go. "Papa?" He turned to look at Roland who was still sitting on the bed Regina had just left. "What's going on?"

He smiled down at his son. "The bad guys are back, but this time we are all going to fight together." His thoughts followed his soulmate down the hall, at least she wasn't alone this time.

"Regina!" She turned at the sound of Snow's voice. "What are you doing out of bed? Shouldn't you be resting?"

"I'm fine, in fact," she lifted her hands and shot brilliantly white, light magic at the doors, "I'm helping." She smiled at Snow, "Now," remnants of the Evil Queen shone through her eyes, "if you try and stop me, you won't like the consequences."

"Mom!" Henry came racing down the hall towards them. "Mom, Dad didn't mean to make you mad, he just doesn't want to see you get hurt again. He looked so sad when I got here, Mom you're going to break his heart. Besides, he's right, and so is Grandma. You need to rest." He put his hands on his hips and gave her a look that reminded her so much of herself she ended up laughing.

"Okay Henry, I'll take it easy, but I'm still going to help. I don't expect Emma to do this on her own. Wait," she paused and looked hard at her son, "Dad?"

"Yeah," he looked down at the floor, "is that alright with you? He doesn't seem to mind and it feels right. He called me his son this morning." He looked back at his mother, waiting to see what she would do. Much to his surprise, and Snow's, Regina started to cry. "Mom, what's the matter?"

"Nothing," she smiled and held up her left hand so they could see her new engagement ring, "it's perfect." When her son and her stepdaughter started to laugh Regina was confused. "Am I missing something here?"

"Well, it's just that he's been trying to figure out how to ask you for a week and he chooses now? It's just funny that's all."

"All week? He's been carrying this around in his pocket for a week?" Regina started laughing too. Her laughter was cut short when she caught sight of Cruella walking towards them down the hall. She quickly moved Henry and Snow behind her and when she spoke it wasn't Regina, but the Evil Queen, defending her family,

"Stay away from them!" Her hands started to glow as she drew her magic to fire at Cruella. "How did you get in here? How did you get across the barrier? Where are the others?" The fire in her hands burned brighter with every question.

"Regina! Stop!" Emma planted herself between the queen and Cruella. "Stop! She's helping us! She helped us put the spell up to protect you, she's on our side!"

The fire in her hands had gone out the second that Emma had jumped in the way, but she still hadn't let her guard down. This woman had tortured her a few hours earlier, how was she just supposed to trust that she had suddenly switched sides. "And why should I believe that? What is there to say she's not only pretending to help us in order to let them in from the inside?"

Almost as if to accentuate her words another blast of magic hit the hospital from the outside. She watched as Emma and Cruella grabbed hands and shot their magic towards the barrier. When they turned back around Cruella smiled, "Believe me yet?"

Regina didn't answer, she just stood there trying to understand what she was seeing. "Umm, you know, she may understand this a little better if somebody just tells her." Henry laughed as he peaked out from behind his mother.

She heard Robin and David laugh as they and Roland joined them in the lobby, "Well go on tell me then," she snapped at them. She was tired of them laughing at her expense. "What's going on?" She watched in shock as Roland ran up to the woman who had helped hold them both captive earlier than morning.

"Aunt Ella, I think Mama is mad." Cruella picked Roland up and tickled him.

"I think she may be a bit confused." She laughed as she looked from Roland to Regina. "Darling, I believe we should be properly introduced. My name is Duchess,"

"Not any more." Cruella turned to look at David, "We welcomed you back, I believe that makes you Princess again." Cruella laughed before she continued.

"Well, alright then, Princess Eleanor. You my darling, had the misfortune to be married to my insufferable, older brother. That makes all of us," she gestured to the Charmings, Regina and herself, "family. And given your attachment to these two, we are family by default."

Regina still wasn't entirely sure she had heard her right, "You're Leopold's sister? How was I never informed that I had a sister-in-law?" She looked at Snow, "Did you know?"

"Not until my father was dead and I was running from you. I unknowingly sought her out and she told me, before she refused to help me and sided with you." Snow rolled her eyes. "I think you two would get along great if you gave each other a chance."

Cruella and Emma both laughed at that. Cruella looked across the hall at the pair of brunettes standing there. "Honestly I think the two of you have more in common than you realize." Regina and Snow both snorted and turned away in the exact same motion. Effectively proving Cruella's point. Snow had picked up almost as many habits from Regina as Henry had.

"Fine," Regina snapped at Cruella, "I will believe you are on our side, and I will learn to live with the fact that you are family, but right now I'd like you to put my son down." Cruella nodded and put Roland on the floor where he made his way over to Henry. "Now you two boys, go back to my room, and I will be there in a minute, then we can do something fun."

"Mom! That's not fair I want to help!"

"Henry you are helping, by watching your brother your mother and I can focus on something other than his safety. Alright?" When Henry nodded slowly Robin smiled. "Good, off you go so we don't have to worry."

When Robin turned around he saw both Regina and Emma's mouths hanging open, "What?"

"Never,"

"In a million years,"

"Would he have listened to either one of us that fast." Regina stepped into Robin's waiting embrace. "How do you do it?"

"I don't know m'lady, he simply listens."

From behind them they heard David laugh, "Every boy needs a father, and he doesn't want to disappoint the only one he's got. Right now we have bigger problems than a teenage boy who doesn't listen to his mothers. Right now we have," Another blast hit the hospital, "that…"

-o-o-

Maleficent and Zelena were standing on either side of Rumple. When they had first arrived at the hospital Zelena had had a sense of déjà vu. The memories of storming the place with the Dark One as her puppet overtook her as they walked up to the doors.

Last time Rumple had walked straight through the queen's barrier spell, as if it wasn't there at all. True she thought her blood ties to Regina may have weakened it a little, but she was expecting the same result this time. Rumple marched swiftly towards the doors, which had opened as he approached, only this time instead of letting him through he was thrown violently backwards.

He landed at their feet. So much for this going as easy at it had before. Zelena looked up from Rumple to meet Maleficent's eyes. Together they had lifted their hands and shot magic towards the building. When it hit they saw the barrier give and sway with the force, but it never cracked. All three villains watched as the barrier reset itself. The second time they shot magic towards the building the Dark One's magic was mixed in. When the barrier still didn't falter Rumple ceased fire.

"What in the world is strong enough to keep us out like this? It can't be Regina, or the baby, I'd be able to get in." She stopped when she saw Maleficent's expression. "Blood magic? Remember? I'm her sister…"

"Right of course." Maleficent shook her head. "It's strong light magic, though there is something else mixed in there. It may not be Regina, but it definitely feels heroic."

"The Savior?"

"Maybe, but it's not pure, I'd say more than one person."

"I'd say you're right dearie." Rumple had turned to join their little chat. "Look." He pointed towards the front of the building where they could see a flash of bright white magic add to the barrier. "The Queen is awake. That magic was hers."

"I still don't understand why it is so strong? What makes a protection spell that powerful?"

Rumple stood there silently. He was thinking, and neither woman dared interrupt him this time. Eventually he lifted his hands again, this time firing directly on the doors. Still nothing. When he lowered his hands magic from the inside of the building shown again. Double the magic, together almost as strong as the queen's. Rumple gasped. "I know what they are doing. Clever, Miss Swan, very clever."

Maleficent wasn't in the mood for guessing games. "What are you mumbling on about over there?"

He turned to her with his impish grin once again pulling at his lips. "We were right before. It is powerful, the most powerful. Blood magic, light and dark bonded together through blood, enhanced with the strongest light magic there has ever been. Plus if my assumptions are correct there will be some fairy magic in there as well."

"Blood magic? Light and dark? Rumple what are you talking about? There are not two procurers of magic in there that share blood, unless that nephew of mine suddenly developed powers."

"No, no, my grandson may have the heart of the truest believer, but he does not posses inherited magic. I do believe the lost princess has finally made her way home."

"Enough riddles, what are you talking about? And how can we break it?"

"Oh it's not a riddle my dear dragon mistress, no it's the truth. Did you never hear the story of King Leopold's long lost sister. People say she was locked in a tower for her wicked ways, but that's far from the truth. In fact the young king simply had her banished from court for not acknowledging him as King. The princess lost her title, lived as a duchess and no one ever seemed to remember who she was. Until now."

"Regina's pathetic waste of a husband had a sister? Who?"

"Her name was Eleanor. Although now I think she prefers it when we call her…"

"Cruella!" Maleficent was shocked. Cruella was a princess of the Northern Kingdom? No, she would have mentioned, someone would have remembered. But wait, that meant… "She switched sides? She joined them? And now she's protecting the one thing that could stand in the way of our happiness? How could she?" Maleficent shot magic at the hospital again, but this time her rage shook the entire building.

"Are you quite finished?" Rumple was not impressed with Maleficent's outburst. "It seems Cruella and Miss Swan are using their blood bond to strengthen the barrier. Add that to Regina's new found light magic, and the power immolating from that child, and we may as well give up. They have to come out of there sometime." He looked at the other two as he spoke. They slowly nodded, but neither one moved. Zelena lifted her hand once again.

This time she conjured a ball of spirit to carry her voice into the hospital. She whispered into it and sent it towards the doors. As it hit the barrier it melded into the spell causing it to cover the entire building. She laughed as she turned to walk away. "We couldn't leave her without a threat now could we…"

-o-o-

They felt the final burst of magic hit the shield. It was short and sudden, but then the impact hit full force. From all around them they heard Zelena's voice. It wasn't more than a whisper, but it radiated from every particle of their protection spell. Covering them all in her voice. The message itself wasn't threatening, but what it implied was.

"Remember dearies, love is weakness…"

Emma's eyes flashed as she met Regina's gaze. Together the two of them, flanked by Cruella and Snow moved to the front doors of the hospital. "Zelena!" Emma called out, causing the witch to turn.

Regina met her sister's eyes as she shouted after her, "No! It's strength!"

The blast of magic that shot from the two women towards Zelena moved so fast there was no way she could have avoided it. Rumple and Maleficent disappeared into a cloud of as Zelena fell to the ground


	14. Chapter 14-Bonding

Chapter 14 - Bonding

Zelena lay crumbled on the ground outside the hospital. The four women in the doorway exchanged a worried glance. What should they do? Regina looked from her sister to her family and sighed, "I had a feeling this was going to be a long day." Her laugh was infectious, soon all four women were standing in the doorway smiling and laughing.

"What are we going to do with your sister?"

"Well darling, we could always just leave her there." Regina shot a glare at Cruella.

"In case you've forgotten my dear, we are the heroes in this little game, and heroes don't just walk away because it's easy. No we help her. Robin! David! Killian!" Her sharp tone had them running out of the building. When they stopped in front of her she pointed at Zelena, "Will you kindly go and fetch my sister and bring her inside please?" The men exchanged a nervous look and then looked back at Regina.

"Regina, is that…"

"Dad, she wasn't really asking, go get Zelena!" Emma had grabbed a hold of Regina's hand as they took down Zelena, and she felt the older woman squeeze hers in thanks. "Now!"

As the men moved out of the building towards the limp form of the witch they heard David mutter, "Looks like Snow's not the only one that's picked up Regina's personality traits…"

"I heard that!" Charming just smiled at his daughter as Robin held up the black, leather cuff Emma had taken off Regina that morning.

He looked at his soulmate for permission, "Should I?" Without bothering to consult anyone else she nodded. "Alright then," he slid it on her wrist and picked up his soon-to-be sister-in-law, "where should I put her?"

"An empty room is fine. Regina," Emma dropped her hand and turned to face her, "should we use our light magic to bind her dark?"

"Will that even work?" The three witches turned to look at Snow. "I just mean since she and Zelena are related wouldn't it make more sense for Emma and Cruella to bind her magic?"

"It would darling, but my magic is dark as well, I don't know if it would bind other darkness."

"It's worth a shot. I don't want to risk her getting that cuff off and having her powers back. The cuff didn't work on Regina, what if it's power is weakening?"

"That wasn't because the cuff was weakening Miss Swan, that was because of my strong baby girl. Speaking of which," she ran a hand over her stomach, "let's get the protection spell back in place before Rumple and Maleficent show back up."

"Oh I wouldn't imagine they'd come back now darling. They are far too outnumbered. I'd guess they are going to try and come up with a new plan first." She stepped forward and grabbed Emma's hand. "But Her Majesty is right. Let's put the spell back up."

Together the three women put the barrier back in place and made their way inside. Emma and Cruella stopped to ask Tink to add her magic to the spell and Regina made her way to the room they had placed Zelena in. When she got there all three men were standing in the doorway. "Leave us."

"Lass, I don't think that's the best idea." Regina didn't have to say a word, she just turned and looked at Hook. "I'll just go find Swan." He left the room in a rush.

"Good." She turned to face Robin and David, "I said leave us."

"Regina…"

"I am still the queen, and I was not asking, now leave!" She flipped her wrist and both of them were sent to the lobby in a cloud of smoke. Another flick of her hand and the door to Zelena's room locked behind her.

She made her way over to the bed and ran a hand over her sister's body. The baby added her magic to her mother's and together they restrained Zelena on the bed. "Alright sis, we need to talk." She flicked her fingers at Zelena and slowly the Wicked Witch opened her eyes.

-o-o-

Maleficent and Rumple reappeared in the cabin in the woods. "Are you sure this is the best place?" She wasn't sure that Rumple had made the best decision, Regina was bound to look for them eventually,, and this was the place she was most likely to start.

"We aren't staying. Just collecting things that we need."

Maleficent shot him a look. What could they possibly need from this god forsaking cabin? It wasn't like they had kept anything important here. "Where are we going then?"

"Somewhere you were likely to never go again. My wife's library." His eyes shone with the mischievous glint he only got when he had something up his sleeve.

"You are going to force me to go back to that dungeon?" Her eyes got wide. She had spent thirty years trapped down there and he expected her to go back down there without a second thought.

"No one is forcing you to do anything dearie. You are here of your own free will, you can leave anytime you want too."

"Oh really, I seem to recall you getting rather upset the last time one of us exercised our free will."

The grin on Rumple's face faltered for a fraction of a second, but he kept moving. Collecting little things from around the cabin as she stood in the doorway. "Do what you will dearie. I'm going, and I will get Zelena back, and I will win. So choose wisely Maleficent. You either face your fears, or you never find your happiness." And with that he vanished, leaving her standing in the doorway where she had landed when they arrived.

She looked around the cabin. There was nothing left for her here, but she couldn't bring herself to blindly follow the Dark One any longer. He showed hardly any concern for Zelena at all, and she was sure that he would have cared even less if it was her that they had taken. She shook her head and made her way back outside. They were villains, they had a right to not care about others, to only look out for themselves, but there was a part of her that seemed to know that was wrong. That same part of her that had cringed away from hurting Regina's son. Maybe she wasn't as dark as everyone wanted to believe.

No stop! She was Maleficent, the Mistress of All Evil. She could turn into a large, fire breathing dragon! She had leveled villages, burnt realms and never thought twice, but here in Storybrooke, in the town Regina had created to foster her happy ending, Maleficent could feel something inside of her changing. She turned back to the cabin, maybe Rumple was right, maybe villains don't get happy endings. But then again, Ursula seemed happy, and Cruella was helping the heroes, not to mention the Evil Queen. The worst of them all, the one that had given her her darkness back, the one that cursed an entire realm and sent them to a miserable new world. Regina's happiness had truly made her the fairest of them all again.

Maleficent sighed, she had made her decision. She had been evil for so long, had given up so much. She could only see one option if she was ever going to be happy, and as much as it shocked her, as much as it betrayed everything she had been feeling for years, it was right. Something inside of her knew exactly what she had to do, who she had to side with, and much to her surprise she laughed. It wasn't the Dark One that could help her find her happy ending. It wouldn't be through magic or violence. She had heard what Zelena had whispered to Regina, what she had made sound like a threat, "Love is weakness." But it was Regina that had been correct she realized, it wasn't weakness to love, it was strength.

-o-o-

"Regina." Zelena' voice was hoarse after being knocked out by their magic. She tried to sit up in the bed, only to find herself held down by Regina's magic. "Just kill me already sis. It would save you so much time."

"Who said anything about killing you? Oh no dear, I want to talk to you."

"What could you possibly think I have to say to you? You have everything, you always have had, what could you possibly want from me?"

"Answers my dear. We want answers. You seem to think that killing my child is the only way for you to be happy, how does that make any sense Zelena? How many lives have you taken only to get nowhere? Killing my daughter will not make you happy, and Rumple knows that."

"No he doesn't! And I don't either! Killing her won't bring my happiness right then, but it will leave the way clear for my path. If she lives she is a threat to all Dark Magic! How could you let something like that live inside of you? How can you protect that, knowing that one day she may get rid of you too, just like you did our mother?"

Regina laughed. "Get rid of me? She won't have any need Zelena. I am nothing like our mother. Our mother didn't have a heart, she couldn't love. I love so deeply that I can love without mine beating in my chest…"

"Love is weakness…"

"No!" Regina's tone caused Zelena to jump, "Love is never weakness Zelena, can't you see that? It's strength! How do you think we defeated you just now? You didn't pass out of your own free will. That was love, and we hit you with enough of it that you blacked out. Don't you see, that's why heroes always win! Villains may have magic, they may not have to play by the same rules, but they are missing the one thing that gives heroes their power. Love. Without love, there really isn't a point in going on. I know, I've been there, more than once. But the point is heroes keep going, they have hope, and every now and again, they are rewarded for it." She paused to look down at her sister. "I tried to give you a second chance once before Zelena, you chose not to take it. I'm offering you another one right now. Don't make the same mistake."

She left the room in a puff of smoke, and appeared in the lobby. When the pale lavender tails of the spell faded away Robin wrapped an arm around her waist, and she leaned into him. "I'm sorry that I sent you guys out here like that, I just needed to talk to her alone."

"We understand. I just wish you'd be more careful." He kissed the top of her head. "There are two young princes in your room that would like their mother to play a game as she promised before."

Regina laughed and headed in the direction of her room. The boys were waiting patiently for her when she arrived, and together they played with her magic.

-o-o-

Cruella felt it first, the wave that passed over the entire hospital as someone magical tried to reenter the area. Without waiting to see if anyone would follow she made her way to the front doors. When she got there, Maleficent stood waiting. "What are you doing back here? How could you dare to come back here now? We already have Zelena, we wouldn't want Rumple to loose the only girl he's got left."

Maleficent raised her hands, palms out to show she meant no harm. "He doesn't have anyone left. He's alone. I have come here to speak with Regina. Please." The please was tacked on as an after thought, but it was better than nothing.

"She's not available at the moment." Emma had come up beside her aunt. "Can we help you with something?"

"I just feel, different, here and I wanted to know if it was something similar to what she had felt. I just wanted to find out what was going on." She looked Emma straight in the eye as she spoke, and the younger blonde's superpower said that she was telling the truth.

"Okay, well I don't know much about what you're feeling right now, but I know a little about magic, and Regina has said before that her magic has changed. Come on in and let's see if we can't figure this out."

"Emma, darling, are you sure about this? What if it's a trap? What if she's still working for him?"

Emma smiled, "Honestly I said the same things about you. You weren't lying and neither is she." She reached for Cruella's hand. "We need to tell the barrier to let her through."

"Okay," she took Emma's outstretched hand, "But I still have my doubts. She was way worse than I ever was."

"Cruella, you know I can hear you right?" Maleficent shot her one of her million watt smiles. "That barrier is magic proof, not sound proof."

"Oh I'm well aware darling." Cruella smiled back sweetly, "Alright," she waved a hand at the barrier and waited for Emma to do the same. "Try and come in."

Maleficent approached the barrier timidly, after all it had thrown Rumple back only a few hours ago. She raised her hand to the edge of it and pushed in slowly. It gave way, and the rest of her body followed into the protective shield. She extended a hand to Emma. "Thank you."

Emma took the hand, "You're welcome. Come on in, we have a lot to discuss."

"That we do. First, is Rumple's wife here?"

"Belle?" Emma looked at the older blonde curiously, but chose not to ask questions. "Yeah she's in the lobby come on."

Flanked one on each side by Emma and Cruella, Maleficent entered the lobby of the hospital. "Whoa! What are you doing here? How did you get past the barrier?" Robin and Killian both moved to block the hallway off and David reached for his gun. "What do you want Maleficent?"

"Sanctuary." Her voice was soft, but strong. She met the Prince's eyes and then looked to Emma. "I mean no harm, and the Savior has agreed to listen, but please, I wish to speak with Belle."

"I'm right here." Belle stepped across the room and stood in front of Maleficent. "What is it you wish to speak to me about?"

"You mustn't go back to the library." She looked around the room at all of them, "That's where he went. I know he's trying to figure out how to get Zelena back and then take out all of you." She reached out to touch Belle's arm when the young woman's eyes went wide, but then thought better of it. "I'm so sorry my dear. But it's true. He no longer thinks he can find his happiness here, no matter how much he loves you."

"He doesn't love me…"

This time Maleficent did touch her, she lifted her chin and looked in her eyes. "That my dear, is where you are wrong. I believe he fears how much he loves you, because the one thing none of us has ever had is love. And that is what makes us weak."

They locked gazes and Maleficent saw the tears form in Belle's eyes. She felt a brief flicker of something like affection for the young girl as she heard Emma speak, "I'm so sorry Belle."

"No, Maleficent is right. I know how to stop this. I know how to make him see. We have to get rid of the Dark One, the only way I know how."

Robin looked confused. "Getting rid of the Dark One just creates a new Dark One? How does that help?"

"It doesn't have to." They all turned to look at Regina as she and the boys joined them. "Maleficent." She nodded at her friend, figuring someone would explain why she was being welcomed soon enough. She turned back to her fiancé, "True Love's kiss can break any curse." She smiled at Belle, "I believe we have had this conversation before."

"Indeed." Belle nodded. "Back when I didn't know who you were, and before you locked me away so that I couldn't save him." She laughed at the next memory, "He was so surprised I returned that day, and if it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't have. Thank you for that by the way." Regina's expression was puzzled, but Belle continued, "If you hadn't convinced me to go back that day, everything here would be different. I wouldn't have married him, and I wouldn't be able to stop him now." She reached for Regina and the queen met her half way. "Even way back when the Evil Queen was quietly a hero."

Everyone laughed. Snow walked over and nudged Regina's shoulder, "I've known that since the moment I met her." The queen rolled her eyes, but chose not to comment. Feeling loved was worth a little bit of chiding from her stepdaughter.

"Okay darlings, I realize that you all are heroes, and you do the lovely, mushy moments, but I'm a bit more practical and I'd like to know what our next move is." Cruella had picked up Roland when the boys had come in with Regina, and she swung him in circles as she spoke.

"It seems they aren't the only ones being mushy Cruella dear. What ever are you doing?"

"Aunt Ella, again." Cruella had stopped swinging Roland around when Maleficent called her on it.

"Well like it or not darling, I am a part of this family." She swung Roland one more time and then set him down and whispered in his ear. "Why don't you go ask Aunt Mal to play?"

Maleficent's eyes went wide when the little boy ran up to her, "Are you my aunt too?"

Robin laughed and started to answer but Regina cut him off, "Yes sweetheart." She walked over to the pair and picked up her son before turning to Maleficent. "She was a better sister than the real one in the other room any day." She offered her friend a smile before offering her her son. "What do you say Mal? Wanna be a hero?"

Maleficent laughed, but she took Roland from Regina. "Today I will be."

-o-o-

Rumple entered the library alone. He had expected Maleficent to show up by now. He waved his hand and the elevator sprung to life, he lowered himself into her lair and waited. Time passed slowly as he expected the dragon to appear. When she did not he sent out feelers for her magic. What he found surprised him. She was at the hospital, they all were, but he couldn't quite get a read on the situation. He knew they were holding Zelena there, where they holding Maleficent too?

Rumple arrived just as Regina rejoined the little band. Maleficent was with them, but they weren't restraining her. In fact they were laughing. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but he could tell they were happy. The sight of the witches so easily finding something to be happy about made him cringe. This shouldn't be happening. The prophecy had said that the infant princess would have great power. Great power meant danger, he wanted nothing to be more powerful than they were, and yet somehow they were all joining Regina and her unborn child. What was happening? How were they finding something to be happy about when the world as they knew it was ending around them?

Rumple's attention drifted back to the family before him, he watched as his wife and Maleficent were included in that family. They all fit together so easily. There was someone missing though. That green fairy had been here earlier, her magic was still in the barrier. He could feel her, so where was she? He followed the pull of her magic around the side of the hospital, it wasn't until he saw the flash of green light through the window that he found her.

Standing over Zelena, holding the black fairy's wand above her head. He knew that Tinkerbell had never been one to follow the rules, but Regina had said it herself. Heroes don't kill. So what was she going to do?


	15. Chapter 15-Battle Plans

Chapter 15 – Battle Plans

Rumple watched as Tink moved the black fairy's wand over Zelena. Her already green eyes seemed to grow even greener as she passed the wand over the witch. When she reached Zelena's heart the blast of magic that shot from both women was extraordinary. Blindingly green light shone out of both fairy and witch as the entire building shook. Whatever had happened between the women had caused the barrier around the hospital to collapse.

As all of the magic from the barrier swept away the hospital began to shake. There was enough backlash from the spell, that every window within a mile radius from Zelena's room was shattered. The momentary chaos that ensued was enough for Rumple to slip in through the broken window without anyone noticing. The blast had rendered both Zelena and Tink unconscious, making it simple for him go in, collect Zelena, and transport her with him back to the library.

He knew he only had a few seconds head start on the heroes, but he would take what he could get. Besides, they were bound to try and figure out exactly what had happened before they began their manhunt. They weren't about to take any chances with their precious princess in danger.

-o-o-

The jolt of magic set everyone in motion. Everyone moved together around the queen as they tried to reason out where it had come from. They all scanned the room, only to be faced with broken glass and looks of confusion. Regina took assessment of her family surrounding her. "Where's Tink?" She looked around quickly for the woman that had slowly become one of her best friends. She pushed Robin's hand away as she searched for the fairy. "Tink?" She moved in the direction of her sister's room.

Robin caught up to her just as she crossed the threshold. "No!" Regina lunged towards her friend's fallen form as Robin looked around the room.

"Where is she?" He had realized that Zelena was missing. "Regina don't touch her!" He grabbed her before she could get any closer to Tink. "Emma!" He hollered for the Savior. Something very strange was going on here.

"What? What's going on? What happened?"

"Robin, let me go! She needs help!" Regina was fighting Robin's hold on her, but the thief was strong and the baby seemed to be using her magic to side with her father. Regina wasn't getting any closer to the fallen fairy. "Emma please! She's my friend!" The queen had tears in her eyes as she looked over at the blonde woman. "Please."

"Of course Regina." Emma moved toward the petite figure on the floor only to be blown to the side. "Maleficent! What do you think you are doing?" She shot a glare at the older woman before moving towards Tink again, only to find Cruella standing in her way. "Get out of my way." It was practically a growl as she faced the two witches.

"We can't let you do that my dear." Maleficent had joined Cruella in front of Tink. "Can't you feel it?" She looked over at Regina, "Either one of you?"

"Feel what?" Regina was worried about Tink, she didn't have time for Maleficent's riddles. "I don't feel…" But before she could even get the words out of her mouth she felt it. She had calmed down enough that her senses were beginning to work again. Without thinking she automatically took a step back. "What happened?"

Emma had felt it too she looked down at the fairy. "I think I feel, Zelena? I think, she may have absorbed her magic." She looked at the two villainesses standing in front of her. "May I?" It wasn't like Emma to ask permission, but Maleficent and Cruella seemed to have a better understanding of the situation. The two women parted and let Emma through, she knelt down beside Tink. She let her magic flow through her hands as she attempted to heal whatever she could. Tink groaned as she began to wake up.

When she rolled over and opened her eyes everyone in the room gasped. "What?" She looked around at them all. "What happened?"

Cruella was the first one to regain her composure. "You don't remember?"

Tink stood up and shook her head. "I remember coming in here to try and get Zelena to understand that she could be good. Like I did with Regina." She looked up at the queen, who automatically back up into Robin's arms. "What's wrong?" She stepped towards her friend.

"Don't get any closer to her!" Robin moved his queen behind him as the other three women moved so that they were between the fairy and Regina.

Tink looked at them all like they were insane. "What is going on? I'm on your side. Why are you all freaking out?"

"Your eyes darling." Cruella pointed at the mirror across the room. "They are glowing."

The fairy moved across the room away from the group. They all watched as she took in the sight of her own glowing emerald eyes, she gasped. "What is that?" There was panic in her voice. "Why are they glowing?"

Emma spoke up, "We think it has something to do with Zelena's magic. Feel around yourself, what do you feel?"

Tink closed her eyes and focused on the magic, her eyes flew open as the dark magic shot out of her. Luckily the three witches were fast enough to stop it from reaching the queen and her thief. "Oh my!" Tears had sprung up in the fairy's eyes. "It's her, I can feel it. What do we do?" She looked around the room. "Where is she?"

"We don't know." Maleficent looked at Tink seriously, "But I do know that for now you can't be trusted. Especially not with that." She pointed to the wand still clutched in the other woman's hand.

"Here," she extended the wand out towards them and Cruella took it. "Now what? I can't be trusted. Not until we figure out what's going on." She looked at Regina, "You have to stay away from me. I couldn't bear it if I hurt you, or her. Regina please," she was practically begging her, "please go."

Regina nodded and turned to go. "Tink," she called back over her shoulder, "I will save you." She smiled as she let Robin take her away.

Tink smiled after her friend and then turned back to the three witches still in the room. "What's the plan?"

"Well we have to find Zelena,"

"I'm going to venture a guess and say Rumple has collected her. If he has they have gone back to the library." Maleficent moved to the shattered window and looked outside. Every window she could see was broken. "It's out of range of the blast, but I'd say a good portion of town is going to need repairs. Whatever you did," she turned back on Tink, "it wasn't something easy."

"Darling the question is, can we fix it?"

"Yes." The other three all stared at Emma. "I'm the Savior, that's my job." The look she was giving them dared one of them to test her. "Come on. We've got work to do." She stormed out of the room and down the hall. Without a word both villainesses and the fairy followed her back towards the lobby.

"Alright!" When everyone turned to look at her she started talking. This was a war, and she was determined to win it. "Alright listen up, this isn't going to be easy, but we have to finish this. Now, before anyone else gets hurt. The barrier on the hospital is gone, and that leaves us vulnerable, now is the time to act. If we don't we are sitting ducks."

"Emma, is attacking the best idea?" Snow was holding Neal in one arm, and the other was around her grandson's shoulders. "Think about everything we have to loose."

"And think about the things we loose if we don't. You are a ruler, a leader, Regina has said it before, being a leader means making the tough calls. This is one of them, and I'm making it, I'm the Savior and I say we fight."

"You may be the Savior, but you are my daughter! You cannot tell me how we should lead our people!"

"No, but I can." Regina stepped to Emma's side. "I am still the Queen, and that means it can be my decision. Emma is right. We fight. All of us. We out number him by quite a few. This is our shot, and we are going to take it."

"Regina, you can't, the baby…"

"Is fine, and no one is going to tell me what I can and can't do." She stretched out a hand towards Robin. "The dagger." He retrieved it from where he had placed it earlier and handed it to her. She turned towards Belle. "We have two obstacles to face, one is your husband. It only seems fitting that we try and do what you attempted once before. If you can break his curse with your kiss you may as well try."

"How?" She reached out and took the dagger that Regina was offering her. "I've kissed him many times, and he still has his powers, what was so special about that time?"

"He was so dark at that point that he didn't believe you could really love him. Since then he has known of your love for him. It wasn't as powerful. Now after you forced him to leave town, he doubts your love for him again. If you can convince him of your love, then it should have the same effect it would have all those years ago."

"I could really take away the magic? Make him a normal man?" She looked almost hopeful.

"Theoretically yes." They all turned to look at Maleficent. "There's always a chance that taking away his magic will destroy him for good. That there won't be enough of a man left once all the magic is gone."

Belle thought it through for a moment before she smiled weakly, "I believe there is a good man in there somewhere. It's a chance I'm ready to take."

Regina nodded, "Okay, next is Tink." She turned to look at her friend, "I'm afraid with my sister's magic living inside of you, you are too dangerous to help. We are going to have to find her and somehow switch things back. Until then we can't take any chances."

"Let her stay here." Regina and Emma both turned towards Killian.

"What are you talking about pirate?"

"Well, you had Belle locked up under the hospital for years right? Why not just leave Tink there until we can get your bloody sister back here?"

"We can't just lock her in a dungeon! I'm not that person anymore!"

"No Regina, I know you're not." Tink smiled at her friend, "But Hook is right, I can't hurt anyone down there."

Regina looked at the blonde princess standing next to her and sighed. "Alright, but I'm not going to be the one to do it."

Emma nodded and threw a set of keys at Hook. "It was your idea, you do it. And stay down there. Watch her and call if anything gets suspicious."

"You mean other than the crazy glowing eyes love?" Emma shook her head and watched as the two made their way down the hall.

"Okay, Dad, I'm going to need you to control the panic around town. I'm sure everyone is freaking out about the magic, and someone needs to assure them it's all okay." David nodded, and Emma looked at her mother, "I'm going to need you to watch the boys. Both Neal and ours" she gestured to Regina and herself. "We are going to be a little busy." Snow didn't say anything, she just nodded and took Roland's hand.

As Snow and David left with the two younger boys Henry hung back. He wrapped both his moms in a tight hug. "Take care of each other, and try not to kill my grandpa." When he let them go they both smiled softy. It wasn't a promise either one was willing to make. Henry turned to Robin, "Dad?"

"Yes Henry?"

"Keep them all safe okay?"

"I promise." Henry smiled sadly and followed his grandmother out of the hospital. Now was not the time to argue about helping. This was one fight, he wasn't sure he wanted to witness.

Regina turned to those that were still there. "Okay, here's the plan. Belle you are going to try and convince your husband that you still love him. Maleficent and Emma you are going to go with her. Give her the back up that she may need. Cruella, you and I are going to go after Zelena. She should be powerless, so together we should have no problems restraining her."

"Regina, is that…?"

"I'm not taking the time to argue with you Robin. Come along if you want, but don't get in my way."

"I wouldn't dream of it." He smirked at the memory, knowing she had chosen her words carefully. They chuckled softly while everyone dispersed around them. He put one hand on their daughter and the other on Regina's cheek. "I love you m'lady, be careful."

"Always." They shared a quick kiss and she turned her head to kiss his palm as he backed away from her. She faced Belle, "Are you ready my dear?"

"No, but let's do this." Upon the queen's nod Emma flipped her wrists and they were all standing in front of the library. Regina, Cruella and Robin slipped inside while the other three waited on the street. Belle raised the dagger and called the Dark One too her. "Rumplestiltskin, I summon thee."

In a flash of smoke he was standing right beside her. "Belle…"


	16. Chapter 16-Magical Miscommunication

**Hey lovlies! Sorry for the long wait, life got in the way. I promise it won't take that long anymore, things should settle down here soon. I know the last chapter was called Battle Plans and there were some of you really looking forward to a battle. It's not this chapter, but don't give up on me it's coming, in one way or another, you'll just have to stick with me a find out! So for now here is some Magical Miscommunication!**

Chapter 16 – Magical Miscommunication

Robin saw the smoke from outside and nodded to the two witches standing beside the elevator. "Cruella, if anything happens to them…"

"They will be fine thief, just keep watch." She put her hand on Regina's back and together they lowered themselves down into Maleficent's lair.

"Zelena!" There was no use being subtle, she couldn't hurt them, and they outnumbered her. The faster they found her and got out of there the better. "Zelena!"

"If it isn't my favorite little sister?" They spun around as she spoke up from behind them. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You're awake I see. What did you do to Tink?" Regina's anger was enough that even the baby couldn't control it. Her hand shot out and she had her sister in her magical grasp. "Why is your magic inside of her?"

"What? I woke up and it was gone, Rumple said there was a spell and all the windows broke. I thought my magic broke with it." She was pulling at her neck, trying to shake the feeling of Regina's magic. "Why are you laughing?"

When she had thought her magic was broken the other two just started laughing. "It's magic Zelena, I thought you claimed to be the better student? Don't you know it's not that simple? You can't just blow up magic, you'll get yourself killed." Regina let go of Zelena's throat, but kept the magic glowing in her hands. "Come with us. We will figure out what happened."

"And what makes you think I'm just going to believe you?" She shook her head at her sister. "I'm not going anywhere with you two. You're nothing more than has been villains." She looked around the cavern, "Speaking of villains, what did you do with Rumple?"

"Oh he's in good hands darling, I can assure you of that." Cruella smirked, "Now, what do you say you walk out of here with us and we can straighten this whole mess out?" She gestured towards the elevator she and Regina had just stepped out of. "Or if you refuse, we could always haul you away with us anyway. It's your choice darling."

Zelena looked back and forth between her sister and the older woman. Would they really kidnap her to try and save a fairy? That's preposterous! The Evil Queen and Cruella de Vil working together to bring an end to the Wicked Witch of the West and save Tinkerbell? Who would have thought? "Fine, I'll go, but only because I have no way of defending myself at the moment and I don't favor being blasted with love again. It was entirely unpleasant last time. Not too mention I'd really like my magic back."

Regina and Cruella exchanged a look. There was no way Zelena was getting her magic back if either one of them had a choice in the matter. She was far too dangerous, and she couldn't be trusted. True, no one really trusted either Cruella or Maleficent yet either, but they were both working on the side of good. For today anyway.

"We shall see darling. Come along. Regina, are you alright?" The youngest witch had suddenly grabbed her stomach upon her sisters approach.

She shook her head, "I'm fine, we are fine." She rubbed circles on her stomach as she murmured to her daughter, "I promise you princess, you are safe. Cruella and I aren't going to let your aunt do anything to hurt you, and your daddy is waiting for us upstairs. It's alright sweetheart. Let's go." She nodded at Cruella, who had placed a hand on her back to steady her. "We are really okay. Thank you."

The older woman smiled, "Of course, after all, what is family for?"

"Family?" Zelena's head snapped around to look at Cruella, "We aren't family what are you talking about?"

"I never said we were family darling. I said the Queen and I were family. Now if you don't mind, get on the elevator so my darling little niece in there doesn't have to worry about you."

"Niece?! What is going on here?"

"Cruella, quit provoking her. Zelena don't worry about it lets go." She pointed to the elevator, but Zelena had stopped moving.

"No, I'm not going anywhere until someone explains what is going on." A wave a Regina's hand had the Wicked Witch unconscious once more, and another flick of her fingers had her floating in front of her. Regina pushed her sister onto the elevator and followed her inside. The baby seemed more at ease around an unconscious Zelena than around an awake one. Cruella laughed.

"I have to say darling, I think I like her better this way." Regina nodded in agreement. "Come on, before your handsome thief starts to worry." The three women were lifted back into the library and Robin moved towards them.

"Regina?" He collected his queen into his arms and held her for a moment. "What happened?"

"Oh nothing, she was just being petty and I didn't have the patience for it. Besides it's easier to get her to do what we want if she's out."

"There's my hot headed queen." He laughed. "Come on. Let's see what we can do about all this magic business." In a puff of pale purple smoke Regina tried to transport them out of the library. The smoke rose around them, only to fade away leaving them where they stood.

-o-o-

"Belle…" Rumple had appeared at Belle's side. She automatically took a step back. Drawing Rumple's attention to the two blondes flanking her. "Well, well, what have we here? The Savior and the Dragon Mistress working together?" He looked down at Belle. "Working together to protect my wife no less. What do you need my dear?"

"Yes, they are here to protect me, but not because I asked them to, because Regina did. I don't need protection from you Rumple, I love you." She closed the distance between them by stepping forward again. "I love you."

Emma and Maleficent watched as Belle's words captured Rumple's attention. He looked like he desperately wanted to believe her. Like he would give anything for the words she was saying to true, but something was holding him back. They watched as he leaned in towards her as if to give her a kiss, only for him to pull back suddenly and shake his head.

"No! No, you don't love me! How could you? You sent me across the town line! You left me all alone in a world without magic! You could never love me!"

"Don't you see? I sent you away because I love you. It is your magic that I don't love, your magic that draws a wedge between us. There is a good man in you Rumple, I can still see him. I want everyone else to see him too. That is the man I love."

Rumple shook his head and tried to step away from her, but Belle followed. Obviously love wasn't working, it was time for a different tactic. "You are a coward Rumple, and you always have. Are you really going to run away from me? From the one person left in this would who may actually love you? You gave your life for Baelfire and I once before, and now I'm telling you I love you just as much and you are walking away? How dare you? Your son died! He died! Because he loved you so much, and this is how you repay him? By acting like the monster everyone thought you are? By siding with the woman that killed him in the first place? Rumple I love you, but not this version of you." She reached her free hand up and placed it on his cheek. "Where is the man that gave up everything for his son? The man that asked me to be his wife? The man that truly cares for others?" She looked up into his eyes. "Where is the man I love?"

Belle's words were taking their toll on Rumple. The two blondes could see him softening as her harsh words washed over him. She was right. Somewhere inside he knew he was going about things the wrong way. Destroying Regina and her baby really wouldn't solve anything. He looked down into his wife's pleading eyes and he felt it. The connection that they had shared the day he first told her about Baelfire. She really did love him, and he her. Their lips met in a beautiful kiss.

He felt the magic rushing through his body. It was pulling at every fiber of his being, what was happening? He shoved Belle away. "What are you doing?"

"It's working kiss me again!"

"What's working?"

"Every curse can be broken!"

"Regina!" Rumple bellowed and turned away from his wife towards the library. He knew they queen had gone in after her sister, and he had set a spell so she couldn't poof herself out of there, so he knew she would hear him. Slowly the door to the library opened and Regina came out holding Robin's hand. Cruella stood to her left and he could just see Zelena behind them, still unconscious. "What are you playing at? This trick didn't work the first time, what led you to believe it would work now?"

The queen lifted her chin, "I thought you'd changed Rumple. When I made the decision to change my ways, I thought maybe by marrying Belle you were doing the same thing, but I guess not. You will always be the coward who was afraid of love. The man who let everything good he ever had slip away from him, just to keep his hold on magic. Love isn't weakness Rumple, its strength. And it's high time you learned that!" Her eyes met Emma's and at the same moment they both hit him with a blast of pure light magic.

Rumple staggered backwards away from Belle, but he remained on his feet. The only thing stopping him from attacking Regina was the dagger clutched in his wife's hand. "What do you think you're doing dearie? You know you'll never be stronger than I am!"

"No I may not be, but my daughter will. And if you don't help us now, one day, when she decides it's time, I won't stand in her way when she comes after you." Regina's skin seemed to glow as the baby's power radiated out of her mother. "Because Emma's been right all along my dear, love really is strength." She looked over her shoulder at her sister and then turned back to meet Rumple's eyes. Now you will help us set things right between Tink and Zelena." She glared at him until he slowly nodded his head. He had given in to her, for now.

-o-o-

In a puff of smoke they were all standing in the lobby of the hospital once more. Belle had one hand wrapped around the dagger and the other holding onto Rumple's arm. Regina and Robin stood close together, and Cruella and Maleficent moved to stand on either side of Zelena. They weren't taking any chances when she woke up.

Emma had the nurses station call down to Hook and he and Tink reemerged from the basement psych ward. When they got to the little group Emma rounded on Gold. "Fix them. Now." She pointed at the fairy and the Wicked Witch. "Switch their magic back."

"I can't switch it back dearie. That's not how it works. The fairy has absorbed Zelena's magic as well as her own. They didn't swap magic, Tinkerbell stole magic."

"I did no such thing!" The fairy was getting defensive. "I have my own magic, why on earth would I purposely steal dark magic?"

"Nobody said anything about purposely. On the contrary, whatever you were trying to do just seems to have been miscommunicated."

"Well then unmiscommunicate it." Regina snapped at him.

"It doesn't work like that either,"

"You've got about ten seconds to tell me what's going on Rumple." Regina seemed to be growing angrier the longer they talked about this. She just wanted her friend back and her sister gone for good. "I'd start talking." Her hands started to glow as the magic built up in her system.

"The transfer of magic back into the original vessel, in this case, Zelena, is never as easy as removing it. What were you trying to do anyway?" He looked at Tink curiously.

"I was trying to give her a second chance. Just like I did with Regina."

"Ah ok, I think I know what happened. Zelena is dark enough that in order for her to have the same chance you gave Regina she had to have a lighter heart. When you first saved our Queen she was young, and heartbroken, but not yet evil. Her second chance was at happiness not goodness. It didn't require a physical change. Zelena on the other hand, was, is a physical representation of envy and evil. In order for her to have a. Second chance it would have been at goodness not happiness. Her heart, much like her sisters had been for a long time was black, dark and unloving. In order for her to have a chance your spell tried to cleanse her of all of that. Unfortunately it's not something that can just be rinsed away. A part of her darkness, of her evil was transferred onto the nearest light object. In this case you. And her darkness was her magic. Your spell worked exactly as it should have. Theoretically, Zelena has a good chance of being good now, as long as her magic remains outside of her heart."

"But I don't want her darkness in me! That's not fair! I'm a fairy, and I want to be one again. All I've ever done is try and help and all I do is get punished for it!"

Robin reached out and touched Tink's arm, "Now that's not true. We may not have ended up together right when you first told her about me, but pixie dust never lies right? Here we are happy and together all these years later. You're not doing everything wrong, you're just doing it at the wrong moments."

Tink laughed, "I know you were just trying to help, but honestly Robin, that doesn't make me feel any better." He shrugged.

"It's the thought that counts. So what do we do? How do we make Tink, Tink again?"

"Oh we don't." Rumple smiled wryly. "Your daughter does."


	17. Chapter 17-Bold And Audacious

**I have no excuses for my tardiness with this chapter, and I won't tell you lies, so all I have to say my lovelies is I'm sorry. We are nearing the end of our tale, so prepare yourselves, and let me know what you think! Happy reading!**

Chapter 17 – Bold and Audacious

"What!?" Regina's hand on Robin's arm did little to hold him back as he moved towards the imp. "My daughter is not even born! You are not going to be using her for any of your schemes!"

"Oh this is no scheme dearie, and as the queen can attest, your daughter can already perform remarkable magic. She doesn't need to be here to fix this."

Emma stepped forward and got between the thief and the sorcerer. "There has got to be another way. Neither Regina nor that child are getting anywhere near that magic."

Rumple laughed, "Do you see any other prophesized children around here?" He turned his head all around for effect. "I don't. That means that if you want to help your fairy, then you must rely on your princess."

"What is the price?" Rumple looked up at Regina's tone of voice, there wasn't fear, or doubt there, she had resigned herself to the fact this was going to have to happen. Her tone was one that had ended realms, massacred millions, and evoked fear in all that heard it. The new, kind Queen was no longer among them, in her place stood the remnants of the once great and terrible Evil Queen. She held Rumple's gaze and repeated her question. "What is the price?"

"Hee, hee, hee. I believe you have just paid it my dear." He flipped his wrist and an ornate mirror appeared amongst them. "See for yourself dearie."

To everyone else Regina looked exactly the same. Nothing about her physical appearance had changed, yet something inside of her was different. "How?" Gasps came all around when they registered her voice. She reached up to touch the glass. "Why is she here?" Her glare once again fixed on Rumple, "She should be gone!"

"She's a part of you dearie, she will never be gone! And now," he laughed, "Now I will win!"

"What are you talking about Rumple?" Emma and Robin were furious, but only the former could form words. "What did you do to her?"

"Oh no!" Tink had just realized what had happened. "Zelena's magic! It's gone! While he was talking he was working the same spell I did. Only now the lightest object in the room is the baby!"

Robin found his words again at last, "You darkened my daughter? You are going to pay for this Dark One! Mark my words!"

"Oh no dear, the baby is still pure. Having not been born your daughter shares her magic with her mother," Robin spun around to face his soulmate, "So you see dearie, your princess may have saved the fairy, but who will save the queen?"

"I will save myself." Regina's low words carried through the room as if she had shouted them. It had been awhile since anyone had truly seen the Evil Queen, and when her anger was focused on someone else, they all had to admit she was amazing.

"Regina," Cruella stepped forward, "I know you can do this alone, that you can save yourself, and we will let you. Right now we need to know what you want to do about him," she pointed her finger across at Rumple, "And about your sister?"

"Belle!" Regina snapped at the younger woman.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"I'm assuming you can maintain control over your husband?" The bookworm nodded. "Good. Then if you would please begin to do so that would be much appreciated." She turned back to Robin and Emma, "As you can see, someone has shown up to visit. I am going to do my best to contain her, but Emma," her eyes went soft and for a second Regina regained control over the queen, "Emma, if it gets out of control, help me?"

Emma grabbed her arm and squeezed, "Of course." She turned and looked at Zelena, "Do you have a plan?"

Regina nodded. "You two," she indicated Emma and Robin, "come with me and bring my sister. I expect you three," she rounded on Hook, Cruella and Maleficent, "To handle that." Her gaze flicked towards where Rumple stood with Belle clinging to him. Maleficent nodded once and the queen turned on her heel and marched out of the building. Emma and Robin, who was carrying Zelena, hurried to follow her.

"M'lady," Robin called after they had been walking for a ways, "Might I ask where we are going?" When she didn't answer Emma nudged his arm and pointed ahead of them. Regina's vault loomed out of the mist. "Oh…"

-o-o-

When the queen and her companions had disappeared out of the hospital Belle rounded on Rumple. "How could you?" He simply looked at her waiting for her to go on. "Why did you save Tink and then put Regina in danger? How is that helping?"

"Who said anything about helping dearie? Oh no, I'm still trying to win." He grinned at her, "And now, there is no way to stop me. No way to take my powers, for you see my dear, there is no way you will love me now."

Belle shot a glance towards the three former villains, the Evil Queen had told them to take care of it, to finish it. Looking at them now she saw that they wouldn't hesitate to follow her command, she took as step closer to Rumple and her gaze shifted to Maleficent. She saw the blonde woman nod and knew that she understood what Belle was going to do.

As she closed the distance between them Rumple felt himself become trapped, immobilized by something. If he could have looked around he would have seen Maleficent using her magic to hold him in place. Instead he all he could see were his wife's lips coming closer and closer to his. Before they touched she let out a faint whisper, "You're wrong, for I have learned to love the Beast."

As their lips met the light flooded through the room. Rumple felt the power swirl and swoop inside of him. All of it pulling from deep within and leeching out through his every pore. Everyone in the room watched with wonder as the power of the Dark One dissipated before them.

A cry of outrage escaped Rumple when Belle finally broke free. The kiss had lasted long enough to completely drain all of the Dark Magic. No longer did he posses any great power, no longer was he immortal, Rumplestiltskin was the man he had been over 300 years ago. Plain, simple, a spinner and a coward. "What have you done! What have you done?" His cries turned almost to sobs as he continued to repeat his question. Finally Maleficent answered him.

In a voice so gentle one would think she was talking to a baby she said, "She has saved you, Rumple. She saved you from the darkness, and from yourself. No longer will the magic blind you, without it you will be able to truly love once more." She smiled, "I almost envy you, but we know what envy can do to a complexion."

That was enough to break the tension, everyone, including Rumple, laughed. "Zelena!" His head shot up and he scanned the room, "Where is she?"

"They took her with them. Regina said she had a plan."

"But her magic," he looked at Tink, "it's still in Regina right?"

"I would assume so. They haven't been gone that long, I don't know what they could have done by now. Why?"

"Whatever happens Zelena can't get her magic back. She has done far too much damage in our lives. She wants to end her sister, and she won't let anything, even an unborn babe stand in her way."

"Oh you're one to talk," she scoffed at him, "but don't worry about Zelena darling." Cruella took Maleficent's hand and they prepared to whisk themselves away. "No one is ever getting close enough to hurt our niece." And with that they disappeared in a dark cloud.

Tink's eyes grew wide. "What are they going to do?"

Hook laughed, "Think about it love. What's the best way to rid the world of an unwanted villain?"

Belle and Tink both gasped. "But she's Regina's sister!"

Rumple looked down at his wife, "Didn't you hear what Cruella said. Zelena is no longer the queen's sister. They are. And they are going to protect her and the princess. After all they are the only one's that freely use their dark magic, and I afraid it's going to take both light and dark to get rid of Zelena this time."

"This time mate?"

"Well yes, I've already killed her once haven't I?"

-o-o-

Regina was rifling through her vault looking for something. "M'lady," Robin's voice caused her to turn around, "Can we help?"

Her groan of frustration mounted to a scream as she turned to face them, "Fine." She snapped, "Start looking for the damn locket she always wore around her neck."

Without a word they all resumed searching until they heard footsteps over head. With a swipe of her hand Regina sealed off the door and Emma called out, "Who's there?"

"It's us my dear," Maleficent appeared at the bottom of the steps, with Cruella trailing behind. "Are we allowed inside?" She addressed the queen solely.

"Of course." Another wave of her hand and the two villainesses stepped inside. "So?"

There was no need for further explanation Maleficent knew what Regina wanted to know. "She did it. His power is gone, the Dark One is no more. A cowardly, shell of a man remains in his place. Though he can now hold love and hope in his heart he is weak. His power is truly what made him great."

"But her love was strong enough, she fixed him. I wonder…" The queen moved across the room and caught her soulmate in a passionate kiss. When they broke apart she muttered, "Dammit! Why didn't that work?"

"I have an idea." All eyes turned to Emma as she studied Regina. "Kissing Robin won't work for the same reason that Belle kissing Rumple all this time hasn't. You two are confident in your love for one another. Neither of you questions whether or not the other truly cares. An act of True Love strong enough to break this particular spell. Or any spell of containing such darkness, must have to be unexpected." She looked back and forth between Regina and Zelena's unconscious form. "Come on let's find that necklace I want to try something."

"What necklace dear?" Maleficent looked confused. "What does a necklace have to do with anything?"

"The necklace used to hold Zelena's power. When we captured her the first time Regina took it and hid it down here. M'lady, where did you put it?" He was watching Regina who had moved suddenly to the other side of the vault.

She stood upright again with the large pendant swinging from her fist. "Found it." She threw them an evil smile. "Now let's get on with this."

"Do you have a plan?"

"No Miss Swan, I thought I'd wing it and hope that the strength of her magic doesn't kill me and my daughter in the process. Of course I have a plan." And with that she reached into her chest and pulled out her heart.

"Regina!" Robin made to move towards her, but she froze him to the ground with a flick of her fingers. "My queen please, think about this!"

"Relax my thief, I will put it back, I just have to pull my sister from it first." With that she began to magically pull at the dark threads in her heart. Green light started to pool in her hand as she tried to collect all of her sister's magic. With one last pull Regina cried out in pain as all of the magic launched itself back into her heart.

Before she could hurt herself even further Emma lunged forward and grabbed the queen's heart, shoving it back into her chest. "That was your plan?! Regina you are the one that told me you cannot simply destroy magic. That it would kill you! What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I don't want to be the Evil Queen anymore, that I just want all of my Wicked sister's magic out of me! I want my daughter to be safe and I want my family to be happy. I want to the darkness to end."

"I have an idea." Emma moved away from the queen and Robin took her place. Collecting Regina into his arms. Moments later Emma returned. She fastened Zelena's pendant around the queen's neck, and watched as the Wicked Witch's magic flooded back into its proper place. Regina's eyes went wide as she felt the darkness leave her heart.

"But what about my magic? How do you know my magic will be there when I take it off."

"Because we have Hope." Robin's voice in her ear caused her to smile. He was right, they did have Hope, she reached up to undo the clasp.

"I love you, Thief."

"And I you, my Queen." He pulled the necklace from around her throat at the same moment that he kissed her. A bright, white light radiated through the vault.

"Evil…" She breathed.

He laughed, "What?"

"You said my Queen, and I corrected you. Evil Queen."

"From where I stand the Evil moniker doesn't seem quite right." He pointed to their reflection in the mirror and she gasped. The darkness was gone. She was Regina again. "Bold and audacious perhaps, but not evil."


	18. Chapter 18-Questions Of The Heart

**Okay lovelies this is it, the last chapter. I have an epilogue that will go up tomorrow, but for now I want you to enjoy this. I'm going to miss this story, and these characters, the way they are here. If you have read the other story I'm working on you will know what I mean. This has been an amazing journey, and I would never have made it through without your comments and thoughts. Let me know what you think, and stay tuned for the Epilogue. Enjoy!**

Chapter 18 – Questions Of The Heart

The flash of light had woken Zelena from her magically induced sleep. "What is going on here? Where am I?"

Robin and Regina broke apart and the queen turned to address her sister. "My vault, and as for what's going on here, Zelena we have successfully removed your magic from both Tinkerbell, and then from myself. It it once again safely in here." She dangled the pendant from her fingers.

"From you? Why did you have it?" Zelena's face curled into a snarl. "It wasn't yours to take!"

"Believe me my dear, I didn't take it on purpose that was Rumple's doing."

"What?" She looked around at all of them, "What is going on here? Where is Rumple?"

"He's not here darling," Cruella took a step closer to Zelena.

Maleficent laughed, "And even if he were, he can't help you anymore." When the witch's eyes grew wide she continued, "His lovely little wife managed to tame the beast at last. The Dark One no longer exists. His magic is gone."

"You're lying!"

"Are we?"

"Enough." Emma stepped between them and faced the two villainesses. "If you are not going to be helpful, thenI'm going to have to ask you to leave. So can it f you think you get to stay for this."

"For what exactly?"

"Umm," she turned to look at the brunette across the room, "Regina?"

"Why is it my decision?"

"You're the queen my dear, that makes it your choice. Not to mention that she's your sister…"

"She's not my sister." Regina practically growled.

"Well, I thought we had cleared all that up?"

"Sisters do not do the things that you have done to me Zelena. They do not try and steal soulmates, they do not threaten to kill their children. They act like family and that is the one thing that you have never had. You are a danger to my family Zelena, and because of that you do not deserve this." She held up the pendant that was once again green with magic.

"But it's mine!"

"I realize that!" She snapped, causing the older witch to cringe slightly. "That is the only reason I am hesitant to destroy it. You are the last true villain left Zelena,"

"Excuse me?" She answered the blonde without turning from her sister.

"Mal, you've been helping us all day, I don't think willingly siding with the heroes pushes you too far on the villain scale." Maleficent looked hurt, but Regina could tell she was secretly pleased to have been accepted back into her good graces. "Anyway, Zelena you have a choice to make. And it is one that I have given you before. You can either choose to side with good, and make positive choices, as you did once before, or you can return to your evil ways, but do it powerless, and with all of us standing against you. The choice is yours, but I think we all know there is really only one option."

"I have been this way for so long, how could I find it in myself to change now? Even if I wanted to?"

"You could if you wanted to Zelena. That was a part of Tink's spell. You have a chance to find goodness again. She took the darkness, the magic, from your heart. Without it you have a chance to be good, to be the person I know is in there somewhere."

"And if I don't want to lose my magic? What then?"

"Your magic is a part of you, we understand that," Emma looked at Regina for permission to take over. When she nodded, Emma continued. "We aren't saying it's going to be easy, we are saying it is the right thing to do. By choosing to get rid of your magic, you are choosing to be good, choosing to be a hero, and a hero's path is always the harder road."

"You have seen my heart Zelena. Held it in your hands, do you honestly believe that if someone who's heart was that dark could find love, happiness and goodness in her life, then you couldn't. You have to make this choice for yourself, but I know you can do this." She leaned forward and fastened the clasp behind her neck. The pendant falling to lay on her chest. Before she backed away she whispered in her ear, "I believe in you."

Zelena's eyes grew wide as she felt the magic break within her. The magic was gone, banished from her heart at her sister's words. A scowl came over her face as she realized what had happened. Her magic was gone, the True Love that Regina had felt for her in that moment had broken it. That act of faith, that act of love, was enough to defeat her.

She screamed as she lunged for Regina. The queen wasn't expecting her and was thrown back into Robin. He caught her before she hit the ground, but Zelena was advancing on her. "You think that you can take my magic and get away with it? Well guess what sis, I'm making my choice. I don't need magic to finish you. Magic may not bring me my happy ending any longer, but that won't stop me from taking yours."

Before she could clasp her hands around her sister she felt the pull of the magic on her arms. She was spun around to face the Savior and her former allies. "You've got to be joking? You're going to protect her? After everything that she has done, all of the people she has hurt! You still choose her?"

"She changed Zelena, and she gave you that choice. You chose not to take it." Emma moved over to where Robin stood holding a shaking Regina. "Come on, let's go home." She took the queen's hand, "Maleficent," She made eye contact with the other blonde and nodded. As the Savior disappeared with the queen and her thief, the dragon took charge.

"You had your chance Zelena. In my opinion you have had way to many of them. What do you think Cruella, should we give her another chance?"

"Please…please…You can't do this. You have no right. I never did anything to you."

"On the contrary my dear. You just threatened the woman we consider our friend. Close enough friends that her children call us family. I believe you have done plenty to us." She smiled as she flexed the magic that was holding Zelena in place. "Now the question is what to do with you? For you see my dear, though we may be acting like heroes, our hearts are still dark. We can still kill…"

"No…" Her final plea was breathy and faint.

Cruella's high, cold laughed joined Maleficent's deep one. "Oh yes darling, there is a reason all of the heroes left."

"You're ours…"

-o-o-

Regina sat on the couch in her office curled up in Robin's arms. She had given her a choice, and Zelena had failed. She thought about her own heart, about how she had let the darkness eat at her for so long. She thought about Henry, and then about Robin and Roland, her family. They had each other, they were her anchors, pulling her towards the light.

She ran a hand over her bump as she thought. Zelena could have had all of that. She could have been a part of their little dysfunctional family, but she had chosen the darkness, the hate. At ear leaked out of the corner of her eye. She was gone. Regina had known the moment that she had come after her that they wouldn't let her leave the vault. She had broken her magic with True Love, she could have been good, and yet she was still awful. There were some people that you just couldn't save, and her sister had been one of them.

She sighed. "M'lady, what are you thinking?"

"I was just thinking about Zelena and how she made all the wrong choices. How grateful I am that I had Henry, and now you and Roland, and our baby girl. That I have love in my life, and it makes me sad to think she never did."

He took her chin in his hand and forced her to look up at him, "But she did. She had you, and in the end it was your love that broke her magic. You truly are a hero, because only a hero could have loved a villain that much." He kissed her softly, "You truly do possess the Purest Light."

"Well I wouldn't have had a chance without you."

Together they laughed and stared into the fire. "Regina?"

"Mmmm?"

"Will you marry me?"

She held her hand up in front of them and laughed, "I think I already answered that one thief."

His throaty chuckle caused her heart to leap, "No I meant now. Marry me right now."

"Robin, we can't. The boys, and a dress, and someone to officiate. There is too much to do spur of the moment. The last time I did this it took weeks to plan."

"How about one?"

"One what?"

"One week. We get married next Saturday?"

"I think we could swing it in a week."

"Perfect!" The kiss he planted on her lips this time was anything but soft.

-o-o-

For Robin the week had gone by in a blur. They had asked Charming to officiate, and much to everyone's surprise both Emma and Snow were asked to stand up with Regina. Henry and Roland were going to stand up with him and Granny had agreed to make dinner for the little family afterwards. There was to be no party, no gifts, nothing befitting a queen. That's what she had told him last night. They had been laying in bed when he had started talking about it and she had silenced him with a kiss. "You won't even know you are marrying a queen."

Well, as he watched her walk down the aisle towards him on Henry's arm he begged to differ. She had insisted on not wearing white. "After all, I am obviously pregnant, and this is neither of ours first marriage. It is a silly tradition and I won't do it." Then he had shaken his head at her, but right now he had to agree. In the dark red gown, with beading that reminded him of some her garments from the Enchanted Forest, there was no doubt in his mind that he was marrying a queen.

His queen.

He smiled when Henry placed his mother's hand in his. They were really going to do this. Together they turned towards Charming. Robin had no idea what the prince was saying, his focus solely on the woman standing next to him. The woman he would spend the rest of his life with. At least until he heard his name.

"Robin," He met Charming's gaze, "Your vows."

"Ah yes, right." He met her warm, chocolate eyes, with his crystal blue ones. "Regina, 'I love you' means that I accept you for the person that you are and that I do not wish to change you into someone else. It means that I do not expect perfection from you-just as you do not expect it from me. It means that I will love you and stand by you even through the worst of times. It means loving you when you are in a bad mood or too tired to do the things I want to do. It means loving you when you are down-not just when you are fun to be with. 'I love you' means that I know your deepest secrets and do not judge you for them-asking in return only that you do not judge me for mine. It means that I care enough to fight for what we have and that I love enough not to let go. It means thinking of you, dreaming of you, wanting and needing you constantly, and hoping that you feel the same way for me. Regina, 'I love you' means everything."

Regina had tears in her eyes when she spoke, "Robin, what if all we ever wanted isn't hiding in some secret and far away dream, but inside us now as we breathe one another and find our home in the way our arms always seem to fit perfectly around the spaces between us? What if we are the answer and love was the question? What if all this time it was us I was supposed to find? I am filled with wonderings, questions, and doubt, but of one thing I am certain: it will always be you that gives flight to the butterflies inside me, calm to the sea I have become and hope to the darkness all around us. It is you, and it has always been you… You. You that soothes and excites and spreads joy like rainfall on the already damp earth; You that pulled me from the longest sleep and kissed my tired eyelids awake. If life is a question mark, then you my love, are the bold period that is typed with certainty."

Robin's eyes were glistening with unshed tears when she finished.

"Rings please." Both Henry and Emma handed over the rings, and Charming continued.

"Robin, do you take Regina to be your lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"And Regina, do you take Robin to be your lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

Charming smiled. "Then I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. You may kiss the bride."

Bright white light shot from the newlyweds as their daughter showed her love for her parents during their kiss. Soulmates, truly united at last.


	19. Epilogue-The Birth Of A Princess

**Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this through the entire thing. It's been an uphill battle for me in places, but we persevered! I hope this wraps things up for you, but if there are any lingering questions or concerns, please voice them! I will try and answer you! This is the end for now, but as we Oncers know, things have a habit of coming back... Thank you lovelies! Enjoy!**

Epilogue – The Birth Of A Princess

"Come on Regina! One more push! One more Regina, come on." The queen's face was contorted with pain and her scream rattled the windows. She was squeezing Robin's hand as hard as she could. Whale was trying to talk her through her latest contraction. "I can see her head Regina come on, keep pushing."

"Whale, I swear if you say that one more time you are going to need a doctor!"

"I'm sorry Your Majesty, but you're almost there. You can do it, come on!" Her scream caused the lights to flutter. "We've got a head Regina, come on, shoulders are next, you can do it. One more…" The look he received from Robin caused him to cut off before he said anything more. "Come on Regina, almost there…"

With one last push the princess arrived. Her cry had the same effect that her mother's did. The lights fluttered as she took her first breath. Regina collapsed back into the pillows as Robin cut the cord and Whale placed their newborn daughter on her chest.

Wrapped in a soft pink blanket the princess started cooing when she heard Regina's heart beat. Dark hair covered the baby's head and bright blue eyes looked up to meet her mother's. "She's beautiful." Tears sprung to the queen's eyes as she looked at her baby girl.

"Just like her mother." Robin kissed the baby's head and then kissed Regina. "Way to go beautiful." The new parents reveled in their baby for a few more minutes. Not being able to bear letting her go, even for a minute, Regina used her magic to clean up the baby and to make herself presentable.

"Okay," she smiled up at Robin, "Go get our princes, it's time for them to meet their little sister."

He kissed the top of her head and ran a hand over his newborn daughter as he moved to the waiting room to collect their sons. Both boys looked up as their dad entered the waiting room. "Are you ready to meet your sister?" Both boys rushed to him and they made their way down the hall. "Now, be quiet, and don't lean on your mother, she's just been through an ordeal."

Henry looked up at him, "We know Dad! Can we see them now?" Robin nodded and the boys pushed the door open. Roland crawled up on the bed next to Regina and peered down at the baby.

"She's so tiny!"

"Yeah she is. We have to be careful with her for awhile."

Henry kissed his mom's cheek, "Can I hold her?" She nodded at him and extended her arms out so he could take the baby from her.

"Mind her head."

"I know, Mom. I'll be careful, I promise." A knock at the door caused them all to look up. "Mom!" Henry smiled as he saw Emma and Snow in the doorway. He turned to look questionably at Regina. She nodded and smiled.

"Come on in. You're family after all." Snow moved across the room and kissed Regina's cheek.

"Can I hold my sister Henry?" She laughed.

"Maybe Aunt Snow would be better…" Henry grinned as he passed his grandmother the baby.

Emma was more focused on Regina than on the baby just yet. "How are you?"

"I'm okay. I cheated and used magic. I should be up and moving, almost back to normal in a couple hours."

"Good." Emma smiled, "I wish I would have had that option!" She laughed. "Congratulations." Regina reached out and grabbed Emma's hand.

She turned to look at Robin, who smiled and nodded. "Emma, we wanted to ask you. Will you be her Godmother?"

Tears welled up in the blonde's eyes. "Me? Are you sure?"

Regina laughed, "Yes. I'm completely sure."

"Well then I'm honored." She turned to take the baby from her mother. "My turn, I want to meet my goddaughter!" Snow laughed as she handed over the baby.

"Mama?"

"Yes Roland?"

"You said we couldn't find out her name until she got here, well, now she's here, so what's her name?" Regina laughed.

"Well, I think we were going to wait and announce it formally." She winked at Robin over his head.

"But Mama! That's not fair!"

"Yeah Mom! Come on!"

Both new parents laughed. Robin nodded and Regina smiled, "Sorry boys, you are just going to have to wait. We've already broken enough traditions, this one we are keeping intact."

"Fine," Henry grumbled, "But what do we call her until then?"

"Why don't you just call her Kid?" Emma suggested, "That's what I call you."

"Okay…When are you gonna tell?"

"As soon as we are both released, and I'm up on my feet. Probably tomorrow or the next day."

"That's so long." Roland drug out all of the vowels as he spoke, causing Robin to ruffle his hair.

"Sorry lad, rules are rules."

"But Mama is the queen! She makes the rules! Why can't we break them?"

"I'm sorry my little knight, but I like my rules." Regina kissed the top of his head. She saw Emma laugh as she let out a wide yawn.

"Alright Kid, come on. Roland you too." She handed the baby back to Regina, and kissed her cheek. "We will see you at home tomorrow."

Regina nodded and blew a kiss to each of the boys as they left with Emma and Snow.

-o-o-

Two days later Regina was getting restless. Everyone had been by the mansion to see them both, and she was itching to tell them all her daughter's name. She smiled and waved goodbye to Maleficent and Cruella, with a promise that they would announce it at Granny's later on that evening.

When the boys got home from school she could see it in their faces. They were dying to know the princess's name as well.

"Robin," he looked up at her from the arm chair, "Let's go to Granny's." He smiled and went upstairs to tell the boys. They all three came running back down the stairs, Robin just as excited as the boys, even though he already knew.

When they got there the place was crowded. It seemed like no one had left since the child was born, in case the Royal family happened to drop in unannounced. Tonight there were even more people than before, Maleficent had told Belle of the queen's promise and it had promptly made it all over town.

The two boys slid into one side of a booth, and Robin and Regina stood at the end of the table. "On behalf of my wife and I we want to say thank you for all of the love and support we have received from you all. Not only now, but in all of the struggles we have faced." There was some laughter and murmurs of approval at Robin's words. "I know there is someone that you are all dying to be introduced too, so without further ado," he gestured to Regina.

"We would like to present to our daughter and your new princess," she smiled at them all,

"Hope."


	20. The Letters

**We all know that Robin wrote Regina months of letters, and that she locked them away in a drawer. Well they weren't forgotten about, in fact they were cherished.**

The Letters

It was six years later that she found them. One day, while going through her mother's desk the young princess opened the drawer that Regina had sealed with blood magic. She found the letters that her father had written to her mother. She saw the tearstains, and she fingered the creases in the paper lightly. They were soft; she didn't know paper could be soft. She didn't know what they were, but she could tell they were special.

"Hope?" Her mother's voice startled her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry Mama, I was just playing."

Regina realized what her daughter was holding and her eyes went wide. Since the moment of her birth her little, dark haired princess hadn't used any magic, and here she was holding the letters Regina had hidden using blood magic that only Hope could have broken. "Can I have those please?" She held out her hand for the letters. They were not something that she wanted her baby girl playing with they were too special.

"Here go." Her toothy grin was enough to stop her mother from scolding her, instead Regina sealed the letters back in the drawer and drew her daughter onto her lap. "Hope, can you tell Mommy how you found those letters?"

The girl looked up at her mother for a moment and then she smiled. "Like this!" She scooted to the edge of Regina's lap and waved her hand at the desk. A silver light shone for a brief second and then the hidden drawer opened. When she turned around to look at Regina Hope was confused. "I'm sorry Mama! Don't cry!"

The tears streaming down Regina's cheeks were ones of pure happiness. Not only did Hope still have her powers, but based on their color they were just as Light as Regina's were now. She laughed and hugged her baby close. "I'm not mad at you princess. Mommy is just so proud of you!" It was that moment that Robin walked into the office to find his wife crying and snuggling their little girl.

"Regina?"

"They are happy tears I promise!" She kissed her baby's head and set her down. Making her own way over to her husband. He wrapped her in his arms as he waited for an explanation. "Her magic is making its appearance, and its silver."

"Silver?"

"Its pure, Light magic. Robin I was so nervous! I thought that somehow I had drained all of her magic into me and left her powerless, or worse Dark." She buried her head in his chest.

'Darling, you know that couldn't have happened…" He was trying not to laugh at his wife's needless worrying. After all, he didn't want to upset her. "Regina she's perfect," he pulled her away from him so he could look in her eyes, "Just like her mother."

That earned him a playful slap on the arm, but it was worth it. He kissed her forehead before she turned in his arms to face their five-year-old daughter. Together they watched as she played with her magic, causing lights to dance around her fingers. Tears were rolling down Regina's cheeks as she whispered softly, "It's so pure, so beautiful. I pray nothing ever corrupts that."

He gave her a gentle push in Hope's direction, "Then don't let it." She looked over her shoulder at him curiously, "Teach her. Show her right from wrong. Eventually tell her the truth, show her everything. One day tell her about the Evil Queen, and the Savior, and show her just how strong Light magic can be." He blew both of his girls a kiss as he left the office.

-o-o-

Later that night, after they had put the kids to sleep and Regina had gone to bed Robin was sitting in the den, writing.

My Dearest Hope,

It has been almost six years, but today you used your magic again. It was beautiful my darling. The pure, Light that you held in your tiny hands was enough to bring your mother to tears. I hope that you will grow to use your gifts for the good of all. You have been blessed my dear, with a gift, and a loving family that will help you to realize it. Today is the day that your future, should you care to embrace it, truly begins.

I told your mother this afternoon, and I am writing this to you now, so that by the time you read this, if you don't already know you might ask her. Ask her about the Evil Queen; ask her about how she came to be. Have her tell you her story, the story of your eldest brother, and the story about you. Have her tell you about Aunt Snow, and ask her to share stories about Aunt Mal. Try not to judge her because she is doing everything she can to make sure that you never share her fate.

I love you my treasure.

Forever,

Your Loving Father

Robin sealed the letter with his ring, and as he had done on every special night since Regina had told him she was pregnant he kissed the letter and set it aside. Breathing out a deep sigh he stood and made his way across the room to where he had hidden them. One letter for every time something special had happened. Her first steps, her first words, her first day of school, every first she ever had, plus so many other things. And now, her magic, the first day she truly controlled it. It was a letter day.

One day he would give them too her, much like he had presented Regina with his letters to her. One day, when she was ready. Maybe after a fight with her mother, or maybe the day she leaves them to be out on her own. Maybe the day she has her first break up, or right before he walks her down the aisle.

One day she would get to relive her life through his eyes and see all the wonderful things he loved about her. Until then, he would keep them hidden, locked away where no one knew they existed. He would never share them with anyone but her, for they were full of Hope.


End file.
